Steelers legend Mike Wagner, 4-time Super Bowl champion, dead at 76

Former Pittsburgh Steelers antiaircraft backmost Mike Wagner, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the franchise during its "Steel Curtain" dynasty, has died astatine 76.

The Steelers announced Wagner’s decease connected Wednesday nighttime with a statement.

"We are profoundly saddened by the passing of Mike Wagner, a tremendous subordinate and an integral portion of immoderate of the astir palmy teams successful Pittsburgh Steelers history," Steelers proprietor Art Rooney II said successful a statement.

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Safety Mike Wagner of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks connected from the tract during a crippled against the Cincinnati Bengals astatine Riverfront Stadium circa 1979 successful Cincinnati, Ohio.  (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

No origin of decease has been provided.

Wagner was a two-time Pro Bowler during his 10-year vocation for the Steelers, racking up 36 interceptions and 5 forced fumbles from 1971-80.

The Steelers took him 268th wide successful the 1971 NFL Draft, which was the 11th circular astatine the time.

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"Mike played a cardinal relation connected our title teams of the 1970s. As a subordinate of 4 Super Bowl-winning teams, his toughness and consistency were paramount to our secondary. His contributions connected the tract were significant, but it was besides his dependable beingness and team-first mentality that genuinely defined him," Rooney’s connection continued.

"On behalf of the full Pittsburgh Steelers organization, we widen our heartfelt condolences to Mike’s family. He volition ever beryllium remembered arsenic a champion, a large teammate, and a arrogant subordinate of the Steelers family."

Wagner’s shot travel is simply a unsocial 1 starring up to the NFL Draft.

Safety Mike Wagner of the Pittsburgh Steelers returns to the sideline holding the shot aft intercepting a walk against the Oakland Raiders during the 1975 play AFC Championship playoff crippled astatine Three Rivers Stadium connected Jan. 4, 1976, successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

He went to Western Illinois University, but helium didn’t play for the shot squad until helium asked the caput manager for a tryout aft not getting involvement to vie for immoderate different school.

Western Illinois manager obliged, and Wagner made the team. However, helium was inactive waiting tables arsenic a means to marque wealth portion playing for the team.

The Steelers would yet instrumentality a changeable connected him, but the late-round prime wasn’t an afterthought successful his rookie season.

Wagner started astatine information pursuing an wounded connected the extent chart, and helium wouldn’t relinquish his starting presumption from there.

He started successful 116 of his 119 vocation games, and successful 1973, helium led the league with 8 interceptions.

Mike Wagner, erstwhile information for the Pittsburgh Steelers, looks connected from the sideline during a crippled betwixt the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers astatine Heinz Field connected Nov. 30, 2014 successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

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Among those vocation interceptions were the game-sealing 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, picking disconnected the large Fran Tarkenton to springiness the Steelers the Super Bowl IX triumph — the franchise’s first.

In 2020, the Steelers had Wagner participate its Hall of Honor and continued to beryllium astir the enactment until his death.

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