Four-time Steelers Super Bowl champ Wagner dies | News, Sports, Jobs

Wagner

PITTSBURGH — Mike Wagner, who won four Super Bowl championships with the Pittsburgh Steelers, died Wednesday.

Wagner had been battling pancreatic cancer. He was 76.

He was a starting safety in three of the Steelers’ Super Bowl wins in the 1970s. He contributed five interceptions and one fumble recovery in the playoffs, and his interception of Roger Staubach in the second half of the victory over Dallas in Super Bowl X was a key play in helping the Steelers win that game.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Wagner, a tremendous player and an integral part of some of the most successful teams in Pittsburgh Steelers history,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said. “Mike played a key role on our championship teams of the 1970s. As a member of four Super Bowl-winning teams, his toughness and consistency were paramount to our secondary. His contributions on the field were significant, but it was also his steady presence and team-first mentality that truly defined him.

“On behalf of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Mike’s family. He will always be remembered as a champion, a great teammate, and a proud member of the Steelers family.”

Coming to the team as an 11th-round draft pick from Western Illinois in 1971, Wagner started 116 of the 119 games in which he appeared, and he accounted for 48 takeaways (36 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries) in nine seasons from 1971-79.