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| Position | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1949-06-22)June 22, 1949 (age 76) Waukegan, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Carmel (Mundelein, Illinois) | ||||||||
| College | Western Illinois | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1971: 11th round, 268th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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Michael Robert Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety for 10 seasons with thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theWestern Illinois Leathernecks. He won fourSuper Bowls with the Steelers as a member of their famedSteel Curtain defense.
Born inWaukegan, Illinois, Wagner graduated in 1967 fromCarmel High School inMundelein. He playedcollege football atWestern Illinois University inMacomb, earningNAIAAll-American status in 1969. He was added to the Western Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.[1]
Wagner was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the 11th round of the1971 NFL draft, the 268th overall selection. First looked at as a wide receiver on offense, he was soon switched to defense as a safety.[2] Wagner tied for the NFL lead with eight interceptions in1973, appeared in the1975 and1976 Pro Bowls and recorded 36 career interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries. He won fourSuper Bowls, recording interceptions inSuper Bowl IX andSuper Bowl X. After ten seasons with the Steelers, he retired in January1981.[3]
Wagner is currently adefensive backscoach atPine-Richland High School inGibsonia, Pennsylvania.[4] He was interviewed for theNFL FilmsdocumentaryseriesAmerica's Game: The Super Bowl Champions on the1975 Pittsburgh Steelers.
For a short time, Mike Wagner also served as an assistant coach on thePine-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 inLatrobe, Pennsylvania, on August 15, 2009.
After pro football, Wagner applied his bachelor's degree in accounting and worked in the financial industry. He earned anM.B.A. from theUniversity of Pittsburgh[2] and, as of 2012, is a bank vice president in Pittsburgh.[5]
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