Mike Wagner

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Mike Wagner

| image =

| position = Safety

| number = 23

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|6|22}}

| birth_place = Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| draftyear = 1971

| draftround = 11

| draftpick = 268

| undraftedyear =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lbs = 210

| high_school = Carmel (Mundelein, Illinois)

| college = Western Illinois

| teams =

Pittsburgh Steelers (1971–1980)

| highlights =

4× Super Bowl champion (IX, X, XIII, XIV)
First-team All-Pro (1973)
Second-team All-Pro (1976)
2× Pro Bowl (1975, 1976)
NFL interceptions co-leader (1973)
Pittsburgh Steelers 50th Anniversary Team
Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor
Pittsburgh Pro Football Hall of Fame

| statlabel1 = Interceptions

| statvalue1 = 36

| statlabel2 = Fumble recoveries

| statvalue2 = 12

| statlabel3 = Forced fumbles

| statvalue3 = 5

| pfr = WagnMi00

}}

Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Illinois Leathernecks. He won four Super Bowls with the Steelers as a member of their famed Steel Curtain defense.

Playing career

Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Wagner graduated in 1967 from Carmel High School in Mundelein. He played college football at Western Illinois University in Macomb, earning NAIA All-American status in 1969. He was added to the Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.{{cite web |url=https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=619177 |publisher=Western Illinois Athletic Department |title=Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame |access-date=January 8, 2014 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303202110/https://www.nmnathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=12000&ATCLID=619177 |url-status=dead }}

Wagner was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 11th round of the 1971 NFL draft, the 268th overall selection. First looked at as a wide receiver on offense, he was soon switched to defense as a safety.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i7ciAAAAIBAJ&sjid=H7UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3505%2C4179863|newspaper=Beaver County (PA) Times |last=Barrickman |first=Bob |title=Looking at Mike Wagner |date=December 16, 2004 |page=D4 }} Wagner tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions in 1973, appeared in the 1975 and 1976 Pro Bowls and recorded 36 career interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. He won four Super Bowls, recording interceptions in Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl X. After ten seasons with the Steelers, he retired in January 1981.{{cite news|url=http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1981/01/09&EntityId=Ar01100|title=Steelers' Wagner retires; Is Bradshaw next to go?|publisher=Daily Collegian|date=1981-01-09|access-date=2009-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083309/http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG%2F1981%2F01%2F09&EntityId=Ar01100|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}

After retirement

Wagner is currently a defensive backs coach at Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.{{cite news|url=http://www.pinerichlandfootball.com/index.cfm?id=5&bio=coach&rid=179&indplr=yes|publisher=Pine-Richland Rams Football|access-date=2009-03-16 |title=潍坊谷现装修公司 }} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} He was interviewed for the NFL Films documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions on the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers.

For a short time, Mike Wagner also served as an assistant coach on the Pine-Richland High School (Gibsonia, PA) coaching staff, mainly working with the defensive backs and special teams.

Mike Wagner was the guest speaker at the 3rd annual Steel City Mafia Banquet in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, on August 15, 2009.

After pro football, Wagner applied his bachelor's degree in accounting and worked in the financial industry. He earned an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and, as of 2012, is a bank vice president in Pittsburgh.{{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/print-edition/2012/09/14/former-steeler-mike-wagner-financial.html?page=all|publisher=Pittsburgh Business Times |title=Former Steeler safety Mike Wagner tackling clients' financial needs |last=O'Brien |first=Jim |date=September 13, 2012 |access-date=January 8, 2014}}

References

External links

{{Footballstats |nfl=mike-wagner |cfl= |afl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |fox= |si= |pfr=WagnMi00 |rotoworld=}}

Category:1949 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football safeties

Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players

Category:Western Illinois Leathernecks football players

Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players

Category:People from Mundelein, Illinois

Category:Players of American football from Waukegan, Illinois