Face it: You wouldn’t be half as cool as you are now if it weren’t for your dad being pretty damn cool to begin with.
To honor the guys our fathers were before having kids cramped their style, we asked readers to share their favorite throwback pics. With dads this cool, it’s an honor and a privilege to be a chip off the ol’ block.
Note: Some readers requested that we use only their first names to protect their privacy. Submissions have been edited for style and clarity.
1
Rachel Chiu
"My dad, Kris, says that this was actually taken in 1991 at Catalina Island. He was traveling with some friends from Indonesia (where he was born). What I find really interesting is that he told me a lot of what he was wearing was made by a close family member. I like how relaxed he looks in this picture, it really reflects his personality now. He's a really laid back and cool guy." -- Rachel Chiu
2
Ignatius Green
"A photo of my dad, Alfred, taken in the Bronx off of the Grand Concourse. He bought that suit on 5th Avenue the day prior to graduating from DeWitt High School" -- Ignatius Green
3
Ahmed Alshaer
"My dad and Muhammad Ali, who was visiting Virginia as part of a fundraising campaign. Ali's hands were like a rock and large in size, I can easily say twice the size of mine. I kept holding his hands, inspecting them -- these hands that went into battles. Very humble, great athlete and a role model to Muslim Americans." -- Ahmed Alshaer
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4
Marcella April Bradley
"Me and my dad, Jim. Early '90s. He's always the stern-looking one but never fails to give the best belly laughs with quintessential dad jokes." -- Marcella April Bradley
5
Joanna
"My handyman father, Paul, helping me remove my first loose tooth in 1977. I was 5 and had been wiggling it for weeks to no avail. He offered to remove it with his pliers. Tooth came out quickly and painlessly with his help. That was the first of many projects he's helped me with over the years." -- Joanna
6
Austin Allen
"My amazing dad, Patrick (left), and award-winning/world famous DJ Teddy Douglas (center) at the record store they worked at back in 1988. This was during the advent of hip-hop and dance music in Baltimore. My dad has always had dynamite taste in music. To this day he's still the same easygoing, music-loving connoisseur he was back then." -- Austin Allen
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7
Stephanie Straker
"This picture was taken in January 1962, in Grayson, Kentucky. My dad, Chuck Owston, was part of a folk-rock band called the Stormers. He's all in black here. He played electric guitar and sang the high tenor parts. On the left, Jim Heckathorn was playing maracas was wearing a suit, like a businessman. The pipe was a prop (smoking was forbidden on the campus, but this pipe was empty). Jim also sang bass. Next was Russ Hatter, lead singer, with a bohemian beatnik look. On the far right was Paul 'Crash' Clifford, dressed like a West Coast hot rod guy. He played bongos and sang wherever he could find a part." -- Stephanie Straker
8
Bruna Nessif
"I love this photo because it represents a lot of things to me looking back. Mainly, the fact that my dad knew he had a daughter who would test the waters, ruffle some feathers and always speak her mind, yet he’ll never stop trying to protect her. My dad and I are so much alike but also so different, and that’s caused some discord over the years. Regardless, the love we have for each other is deeper than I think we’re even able to acknowledge, and perhaps that’s all that matters." -- Bruna Nessif
9
Adam
"My dad, Terry, with a Hawaiian shirt and cockatoo, with my brother on an upside-down inflatable boat in a swimming pool, with a street lamp. This is 1983 in rural Victoria, Australia. Dad was 45 here and at the top of his game." -- Adam
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10
Marc Blair
"My dad, Jon Blair, in his 1975 yearbook. He was No. 1, and it shows. I love this pic because it shows the attitude and ego he had -- and still kind of has. Plus, he was a black tennis player with a fro in a white-dominated sport." -- Marc Blair
11
Patrick Sullivan
"My dad, Stephen (far left), and his brothers. The thing I love about this picture is that it instantly says 'brothers.' They look cliche, to the point of looking like movie characters. Five Irish brothers with one sister growing up in Middle America during the 1960s and '70s -- how many movies have you seen like that!?" -- Patrick Sullivan
12
Autumn
"This is my dad, Fran. This photo was taken around the late '80s to the early '90s. I love this photo because it just feels like the essence of my dad: having a drink, fixing the toilet, and having a good laugh over it." -- Autumn
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13
Max
"This photo of my dad, David, was taken in 1980 for a Psychology Today photoshoot. I think it's interesting how the cigar was a prop. My dad doesn't smoke them and it's for a mental health publication." -- Max
14
Erin
"I love everything about this photo of my dad, Mike Duggin, from 1977. He flew an A6 in the Navy, on the USS Constellation. I know he was great at what he did, and that makes me very proud." -- Erin
15
Sam
"A photo from December 1993. My dad, Thomas, used to play in an amateur basketball league and took an elbow to the face trying to get a rebound, hence the black eye. He was sitting on the bench, icing his eye when my mom came down from the stands saying that she was going into labor. My dad didn't believe her at first, because he thought it was too early and he wanted back in the game. But sure enough, I was born the next morning a month and a half early! The basketball skills, however, did not get passed down." -- Sam
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16
Keirnan
"I think this was taken in '92. As far as what I like most about it, probably just the fact that I currently look almost exactly like my dad, Shawn, does in this photo, so it's pretty funny just to compare the similarities in our appearance." -- Keirnan
17
Joe
"This is my dad, Joe, jamming in '80s. He's been playing guitar since he was a teenager, and he still shreds today." -- Jake
18
Madeline
"My dad, Mark (center), and his brothers holding my mom, Tricia, on a family vacation in North Carolina. I’ve always loved how happy my mom looks in the picture, and I just love old pictures of family!" -- Madeline
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19
Benja.
"My dad, Thavorn, right after graduating from university circa 1959. Look who was performing that night." -- Benja
20
Hans Henrich
"This photo was taken of my dad, Hans, in 1995. Apparently he was testing out the timer on his new camera." -- Hans Henrich
21
Michael
"My dad, Harry. I believe the photo was taken around 1942 before he was shipped overseas. He was a military policeman. He rarely talked about the war, as most soldiers were wont to do." -- Michael
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22
Jane Wyler
"My cool dad. Though he was long and lanky, he trained thoroughbred race horses after school in New Jersey. Circa 1935." -- Jane Wyler
23
Jena Seppamaki
"My dad, Phil, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My dad still owns those denim short shorts!" -- Jena Seppamaki
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