Better Know a Metstache: Wally Backman

When considering Metstaches, its hard not to think about the bold staches that swiftly defeated opponents and lead the Mets to certain victory. Or the soothing ones – the staches that weathered the storms and put a team’s troubled mind at ease during burdensome times. Or the confident ones – the staches that seemed to escalate players’ abilities and ooze charisma to scarily contagious levels.

But the one Metstache that is oft-overlooked and seldom recognized as a stache of greatness is the selfless stache. And no one wore it better than Wally Backman.

Born Walter Wayne Backman, Wally began his Major League career in 1980 with the New York Mets. His success as a player came from his hustle, hard-nosed work ethic and a desire to play alongside the players that were naturally more talented than he was. Wally’s motto was always “team first”, and it showed – in his words, his play, and his stache. In fact, his stache was so selfless, that in 1985, it lead the National League in sacrifice hits – 15 total. An impressive feat when considering the selfishness and materialism of a 1980s New York.
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