Barry Wagner
Encyclopedia
Barry Wagner is a retired American football
player in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators
with whom he won his first ArenaBowl
Championship and the San Jose SaberCats
, with whom he won two championships. He also played in the World Indoor Football League
as a wide receiver
/defensive back
with the Daytona Beach Thunder
. Wagner is the all-time AFL all-purpose yardage leader. He is considered the best Arena Football player of all time. During the 2006 Arena Football League
season, it named Wagner the league's second greatest player after Eddie Brown
.
and broke many school records held by former Pittsburgh Steeler John Stallworth
. As a senior, he caught 112 passes for 1,817 yards (16.22 yards per rec. avg.), won Associated Press
and Football News Division II All-America
honors, was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Player of the Year, and played in the 1989 Senior Bowl
. In one game against Clark Atlanta University
, he caught 23 passes, setting two school single game records with 370 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.
s, recovered an onside kick
, and made a key defensive stop, all in the final minute of a 1992 game against the Detroit Drive
. He was a 7-time AFL Ironman of the Year award winner, 7 years in a row (1992–1997)
Wagner played for the San Jose Sabercats
from 2000 to 2006, and won the ArenaBowl
with San Jose in 2002 and 2004.
During the AFL's 20th season in 2006, the league named Wagner the league's second greatest player of all time behind Eddie Brown
.
On Wednesday, March 28, 2007 after being cut from the Tampa Bay Storm
's practice squad, he joined the Daytona Beach Thunder
of the WIFL
. However, after the Thunder ended their season at 4-10, he rejoined the Predators for the 2007 AFL playoffs. On June, Friday 13th, 2008 during halftime at the Week 16 game vs. New Orleans VooDoo, Barry Wagner officially retired from the AFL.
Wagner finished his career with 991 receptions for 13,363 yards and 265 touchdowns. From 1993 to 1999, Wagner posted seven consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons. He had 855 rushing yards for 127 touchdowns. On special teams, Wagner posted 6,279 return yards and nine touchdowns, with four of them coming in 1999. Defensively, Wagner finished his career with 677 tackles, 28 forced fumbles, recovering 14, with 47 interceptions and five defensive scores.
He is the AFL's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 127. The next closest are Dan Alexander
and Andre Bowden
with 92.
As of the 2011 AFL season, he ranks third in league history in receptions, second in receiving yards behind Damian Harrell
, fourth in receiving touchdowns. Wagner is tied for second in all-time tackles and fourth in interceptions.
in 1992. He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bears
in 1992 and spent the entire season on the active roster playing on special teams. He earned a contract from the Indianapolis Colts
and was on the practice squad for the entire 1994 season.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the Arena Football League for the Orlando Predators
Orlando Predators
The Orlando Predators are an Arena Football League team based in Orlando, Florida that was founded in 1991. Their playoff streak is currently 19 seasons in a row, as of the season, becoming the ArenaBowl champions in 1998 and 2000...
with whom he won his first ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl
The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs. From ArenaBowl XIX in 2005 until ArenaBowl XXII in 2008, the game was played at a neutral site...
Championship and the San Jose SaberCats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
, with whom he won two championships. He also played in the World Indoor Football League
World Indoor Football League (2007)
The World Indoor Football League was an indoor football league founded by Harry Pierce, owner of the Rome Renegades and Raleigh Rebels of the American Indoor Football League...
as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
/defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
with the Daytona Beach Thunder
Daytona Beach Thunder
The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds were a franchise in the af2, playing in the 2008 season, and folding afterwards.-AIFL Era:The team began play in February 2006 as the Daytona Beach Thunder in the American Indoor Football League under coach Ervin Bryson and owners Kevin and Zack McDonald, and Jay Burton...
. Wagner is the all-time AFL all-purpose yardage leader. He is considered the best Arena Football player of all time. During the 2006 Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
season, it named Wagner the league's second greatest player after Eddie Brown
Eddie Brown (arena football)
Eddie Brown is a former Arena football offensive specialist. He played college football at Louisiana Tech.Brown spent his entire professional playing career with the Albany/Indiana Firebirds.-College career:...
.
College career
While attending Alabama A&M University, Wagner starred in footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and broke many school records held by former Pittsburgh Steeler John Stallworth
John Stallworth
Johnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
. As a senior, he caught 112 passes for 1,817 yards (16.22 yards per rec. avg.), won Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and Football News Division II All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors, was the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a College athletic conference consisting of historically black colleges and universities located in the southern United States. Formed in 1913, the SIAC is a member of the NCAA and participates in Division II athletics...
Player of the Year, and played in the 1989 Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
. In one game against Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
, he caught 23 passes, setting two school single game records with 370 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns.
Arena Football
During his initial tenure with the Orlando Predators, Wagner was a key component in the famous "Miracle Minute", in which he scored two touchdowns, two two-point conversionTwo-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
s, recovered an onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
, and made a key defensive stop, all in the final minute of a 1992 game against the Detroit Drive
Massachusetts Marauders
The Massachusetts Marauders was a professional arena football team that played in the Arena Football League in 1994.-Detroit Drive :...
. He was a 7-time AFL Ironman of the Year award winner, 7 years in a row (1992–1997)
Wagner played for the San Jose Sabercats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
from 2000 to 2006, and won the ArenaBowl
ArenaBowl
The ArenaBowl is the Arena Football League's championship game. From 1987 to 2004, the ArenaBowl was hosted by either the team with the better regular-season record or the higher seeding in the playoffs. From ArenaBowl XIX in 2005 until ArenaBowl XXII in 2008, the game was played at a neutral site...
with San Jose in 2002 and 2004.
During the AFL's 20th season in 2006, the league named Wagner the league's second greatest player of all time behind Eddie Brown
Eddie Brown (arena football)
Eddie Brown is a former Arena football offensive specialist. He played college football at Louisiana Tech.Brown spent his entire professional playing career with the Albany/Indiana Firebirds.-College career:...
.
On Wednesday, March 28, 2007 after being cut from the Tampa Bay Storm
Tampa Bay Storm
The Tampa Bay Storm are an Arena Football League team based in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. They play their home games in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa....
's practice squad, he joined the Daytona Beach Thunder
Daytona Beach Thunder
The Daytona Beach ThunderBirds were a franchise in the af2, playing in the 2008 season, and folding afterwards.-AIFL Era:The team began play in February 2006 as the Daytona Beach Thunder in the American Indoor Football League under coach Ervin Bryson and owners Kevin and Zack McDonald, and Jay Burton...
of the WIFL
World Indoor Football League (2007)
The World Indoor Football League was an indoor football league founded by Harry Pierce, owner of the Rome Renegades and Raleigh Rebels of the American Indoor Football League...
. However, after the Thunder ended their season at 4-10, he rejoined the Predators for the 2007 AFL playoffs. On June, Friday 13th, 2008 during halftime at the Week 16 game vs. New Orleans VooDoo, Barry Wagner officially retired from the AFL.
Wagner finished his career with 991 receptions for 13,363 yards and 265 touchdowns. From 1993 to 1999, Wagner posted seven consecutive 1,000 yard receiving seasons. He had 855 rushing yards for 127 touchdowns. On special teams, Wagner posted 6,279 return yards and nine touchdowns, with four of them coming in 1999. Defensively, Wagner finished his career with 677 tackles, 28 forced fumbles, recovering 14, with 47 interceptions and five defensive scores.
He is the AFL's all-time leader in rushing touchdowns with 127. The next closest are Dan Alexander
Dan Alexander
Robert Daniel Alexander was a tackle and guard who played thirteen seasons in the National Football League for the New York Jets. Dan was draft from Louisiana State University in the 8th round of the 1977 NFL draft....
and Andre Bowden
Andre Bowden
Andre Bowden is a former fullback and linebacker in the Arena Football League and became the all time leading rusher for the Tampa Bay Storm from 1993-1994, 1997-2001, 2003-2004....
with 92.
As of the 2011 AFL season, he ranks third in league history in receptions, second in receiving yards behind Damian Harrell
Damian Harrell
Damian Deron Harrell is an arena football wide receiver who is currently a free agent in the Arena Football League. He played college football at Florida State University....
, fourth in receiving touchdowns. Wagner is tied for second in all-time tackles and fourth in interceptions.
NFL career
Wagner was originally signed by the New England Blitz of the Professional Spring Football LeagueProfessional Spring Football League
The Professional Spring Football League was an outdoor football league slated to begin in 1992. The league had a preview show on SportsChannel America in late 1991/early 1992, laying out the ten teams that would play. The league was founded by Vincent Sette, a computer sales executive...
in 1992. He was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1992 and spent the entire season on the active roster playing on special teams. He earned a contract from the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and was on the practice squad for the entire 1994 season.