This One’s for You, Wags

Adam Markowitz
Friday June 13, 2008

It all began on May 29, 1992.  A 24-year old rookie named Barry Wagner made his debut in the Arena Football League by posting a game that any Ironman could be proud of.  He caught five passes for 68 yards, with a touchdown from good ol’ quarterback Ben Bennett, and intercepted a familiar face; then Tampa Bay Storm quarterback Jay Gruden.  Though the Predators lost that day by the count of 39-32, the stage was set for one of the greatest careers in not just Arena Football history, but in the history of professional football.

That 1992 Preds campaign was arguably the most historically notable season the AFL has ever had.

In the third game of that 1992 season, the Predators posted a 50-0 shutout (the only one in league history) over the San Antonio Force.  Wagner hurled in two touchdown passes, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass on that night, but that paled in comparison to the next game that he would play.

With Orlando trailing 42-32 late in the game against the host Detroit Drive, the rookie inserted himself into league history by putting up what simply became known as the “Miracle Minute.”  Wagner caught two touchdown passes, two 2-point conversions, recovered an onside kick, and made the game-saving effort in the secondary to push the Predators to a 50-49 victory over the storied Drive.  The game was later named the #3 all-time game in Arena Football League history when the league did its 20 Greatest Games list in 2006.

The Predators went 9-1 in that regular season, beginning a stretch of what currently sits at 16 consecutive years in which the Predators have qualified for the playoffs.  It will be a shame if that streak comes to a crashing halt on Friday on Wagner’s night, a fate that will almost be a certainty should Orlando be defeated by the visiting New Orleans VooDoo.  Wagner also led the Predators to the ArenaBowl in 1992, the first of an AFL-record seven appearances made in the championship game by a franchise.

His numbers that year were staggering.  Wagner was third in the AFL in scoring (118 points), sixth in the AFL in receptions (64), third in receiving yards (859), tenth in total yards (921), tied for twelfth in passes defended (11), and eighteenth in the league in total tackles (37).

Though they’re Ironman numbers and were good enough for his first Ironman of the Year award, they weren’t nearly the greatest statistics of Wagner’s career.

Wags went on to win Ironman of the Year for Orlando in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997.  Mix in six straight First Team All-Arena honors, a Most Valuable Player of the Year Award (1995), an Offensive Player of the Year Award (1997), and a spot on the 10th Anniversary Team (1996), and you’ve got arguably the greatest resume in league history.  Then sprinkle in a spot on the All-ArenaBowl team (1999), four All-Ironman team honors (1998-1999 and 2001-2002), two more First Team All-Arena honors (2002-2003), and four Ironman of the Game honors in ArenaBowls (VIII, IX, XII, and XIII), and you have what should have made Wagner the #1 greatest player in AFL history.  Instead the committee in 2006 selected Eddie Brown for the honors.

No disrespect intended to Brown, but you’re not Barry Wagner.

But perhaps the crowning moment in Wagner’s career came on what this writer views as the greatest day in Arena Football League history: the day the Orlando Predators won their first ArenaBowl after three failed attempts at glory.

No, Wagner’s core statistics weren’t great on that day.  He only logged three catches for 47 yards and two tackles.  But what Wags didn’t do on the front of the stat sheet certainly turned up on the scoreboard.  His interception on the first play of the 2nd half set the tone of a game that the Predators only led by seven at intermission, and a 48-yard missed field goal return for a score placed a final stamp on their arch-rivals, as the Predators romped the Storm 62-31 in what was the biggest blow-out in ArenaBowl history at the time.

Following one more season in Orlando, Wagner was traded to the New Jersey Red Dogs because of the new free agency rules.  Without ever playing a game for New Jersey, he packed his bags and headed west, where his new home would be with a budding, young San Jose SaberCats team.

Though the Predators went on to win ArenaBowl XIV without him, Wagner’s effect on his new team was apparent.  The SaberCats were a marginal team that always hung around the .500 barrier before Wagner came to town.  In 2000, the corner was turned, as the SaberCats won 12 games.  The only time San Jose has won fewer than ten games in a season since was in 2005.

Under his leadership, Wagner helped the SaberCats beat the Arizona Rattlers in both ArenaBowl XVI, and ArenaBowl XVIII.

Though there is no doubting that there was never a greater Ironman in AFL history, a closer look at his statistics will prove just how valuable of a player Wagner was in this league.

When he left the Predators following the 2001 season, Wagner held such a plethora of league and team records for single games, single seasons, and a career that listing them would almost seem silly.  But because of the magnitude of it all, I feel that they all need to be mentioned to see just how valuable of a player that Barry Wagner was in the history of the league.

You’ll have to excuse me if this looks more like a media guide than an article, but I find the quantity and quality of these statistics to be astounding.

Team Regular Season Records

-Most all-purpose yards in one single season (2,876 in 1999, since broken by TT Toliver in 2008)
-Most rushing touchdown in one single season (21 in 1996, remains team record)
-Most receptions in one single season (99 in 1997, since broken by several Predators)
-Most receiving yards in one single season (1,527, since broken by Cory Fleming in 2004 and TT Toliver in 2008)
-Most receiving touchdowns in one single season (31 in 1997, since broken by Cory Fleming twice)
-Most points scored in one season (310 in 1997, remains team record)
-Most kick return yards in one season (1,543 in 1999, since broken by Siaha Burley in 2001)
-Most forced fumbles in one season (6 in 1996, since broken by EJ Burt in 2003)
-Most fumbles recovered in one season (4 in 1994, since tied by several Predators)
-Most rushing attempts in one season (66 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most rushing attempts in a career (221, remains team record)
-Most rushing touchdowns in one game (5, remains team record)
-Most rushing touchdowns in a career (69, remains team record)
-Most receptions in one game (15 in 1996, remains team record)
-Most receptions in a career (651, remains team record)
-Most receiving yards in one game (229 in 1996, remains team record)
-Most receiving yards in a career (9,495, remains team record)
-Most receiving touchdowns in a career (210, remains team record)
-Most touchdowns scored in one game (7 on four different occasions, remains team record)
-Most touchdowns scored in one season (51 in 1997, remains team record)
-Most touchdowns scored in a career (289, remains team record)
-Most points scored in one game (44 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most points scored in a career (1,756, remains team record)
-Most kick returns in one game (10 in 1998, remains team record)
-Most kick returns in one season (79 in 1999, remains team record, though TT Toliver should break in this week)
-Most kick return yardage in a career (3,343, remains team record)
-Highest kick return average in a career (min. 90 returns) (18.7, remains team record)
-Most all-purpose yards in one game (434 in 1996, remains team record)
-Most all-purpose yards in a career (14,181, remains team record)
-Most tackles in a career (398.5, since broken by Damon Mason and Kenny McEntyre)
-Most forced fumbles in one game (2 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most forced fumbles in a career (14, remains team record)
-Most fumbles recovered in a career (12, since broken by Kenny McEntyre)

Team Postseason Records

-Most rushing attempts in one game (7 in 1994, since tied by two others)
-Most rushing attempts in a career (46, remains team record)
-Most rushing yards in a career (86, remains team record)
-Most rushing touchdowns in a career (12, remains team record)
-Most receptions in one game (13 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most receiving yards in one game (161 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most receiving touchdowns in one game (4 in 1995, since tied by Javarus Dudley in 2006)
-Most receptions in a career (118, remains team record)
-Most receiving yards in a career (1,558, remains team record)
-Most receiving touchdowns in a career (25, remains team record)
-Most kick return yards in one game (154 in 1998, remains team record)
-Longest missed field goal return (48 in 1998, remains team record)
-Most points scored in one game (38 in 1995, remains team record)
-Most points scored in a career (248, remains team record)
-Most tackles in one game (15 in 1992, remains team record)
-Most tackles in a career (95, remains team record)

League Regular Season Records

-Most receptions in a career (991, since broken by Lawrence Samuels)
-Most receiving yards in a career (13,362, remains league record)
-Most rushing touchdowns in a career (127, remains league record)
-Most tackles in a career (677, since broken by Damon Mason)
-Most forced fumbles in a career (28, remains league record)
-Most interception return yards in a career (527, since broken by two players)

League Postseason Records

-Most points scored in a career (340, remains league record)
-Most touchdowns scored in a career (64, remains league record)
-Most rushing touchdowns scored in a career (20, remains league record)
-Most receptions in a career (161, remains league record)
-Most receiving yards in a career (2098, remains league record)
-Most receiving touchdowns scored in a career (39, remains league record)
-Most interceptions in a career (12, since broken by Kenny McEntyre)
-Most tackles in a career (150.0, remains league record)
-Most fumbles forced in a career (7, remains league record)
-Most fumbles recovered in a career (3, tied by several players)
-Most pass deflections in a career (32, remains league record)

There are tons of other statistics in which Wagner was in the top-5, but even I find that a tad excessive.

The even scarier thing about Barry Wagner was how few games he actually accomplished these individual season records in.  Can you imagine if he was playing with a 16 game season as opposed to the 10, 12, or 14 game seasons he was involved in for the majority of his career?

In his years as a Predator (excluding his brief stint last season), Wagner played in 96 regular season games.  Out of those 96 games, he scored touchdowns in 94 of them (and scored a 2-point conversion in one of the two games which he didn’t score a touchdown).  He averaged 6.78 receptions, 146.85 offensive yards, a shade over 3 total touchdowns, 4.07 tackles, and .71 pass deflections per game.  Though those numbers don’t feel that impressive, check out Wagner’s average stats across the board if he would have played in full 16 game seasons:

100.5 rushing yards
11.5 rushing touchdowns
108.5 receptions
1,582.7 receiving yards
35.0 receiving touchdowns
667.3 return yards
1.0 return touchdown
4.8 INTs
0.7 defensive touchdowns
65.2 tackles
11.3 pass deflections
1.3 fumbles recovered
2.2 fumbles forced
48.2 total TDs
2,349.5 all-purpose yards

Keep in mind that that’s an AVERAGE season.

Arguably his greatest season was in 1996 when he recorded 90 catches for 1,278 yards and 33 total touchdowns.  Those numbers are pedestrian for a full season, but Wagner only played in nine games that year.  Don’t worry; I did the math for you because I know you’re all wondering.  In a 16 game season, that’d project out to 160 catches, 2,272 receiving yards, almost 9 INTs, almost 57 tackles, almost 59 total touchdowns, and 3,696 all-purpose yards.

In fact, if you take the single season records in AFL history and project the best of Wagner’s seasons over 16 games, you’ll find more amazing stuff.

Most Receptions: 166 (Wagner’s best: 160.0 in 1996, would be 2nd in AFL history)
Most Receiving Yards: 2,129 (Wagner’s best: 2,272.0 in 1996, would be 1st in AFL history)
Receiving TDs: 61 (Wagner’s best: 42.7 in 1996, would be 20th in AFL history)
Rushing TDs: 41 (Wagner’s best: 28.0 in 1995, would be 2nd in AFL history)
Tackles: 141 (Wagner’s best: 113.3 in 1995, would be 4th in AFL history)
Forced Fumbles: 7 (by Wagner in 2000, but Wagner’s best as a Predator: 6.7 in 1995, would be 3rd in AFL history)
Kick Return Yards: 2,422 (Wagner’s best: 1,763.4 in 1999, would be 11th in AFL history)
All-Purpose Yards: 3,669 (Wagner’s best: 3,696.0 in 1996, would be 1st in AFL history)

These numbers are really surreal when you think about it.  Not only was Wagner one of the greatest offensive players in the history of the league, but he was always clutch on defense and came up with timely special teams plays.  Seemingly every time he got burned on a route as a defensive back, he’d turn around and either return the kickoff for a touchdown or catch a long pass for a touchdown the next drive.  If he made a mistake on offense, he’d intercept the next pass the opposing quarterback threw.  To paraphrase what Tampa Bay Storm color analyst Jason Dixon said in a recent article, if you had Wags on your team, you were always alive in a game, no matter what the deficit was.

I asked several people who surrounded the career of Barry Wagner to give me one word and one word only to describe his career.  Here’s what I came up with…

Fran Stuchbury, host of ArenaZone: Legendary
Shelly Grieb, mother of Mark Grieb: Determined
Andy Lopusnak, ArenaFan writer: Ironman
Nancy Morris, President of the Predators fan club: Legend
Jason Lucas, Media Relations Director for the Predators: Perfect

And perhaps my favorite…

John Hahn, writer for the San Jose Mercury News: Chimerical

I had never heard of the word “chimerical” before in my life, so I’ll let dictionary.com help us out a bit.

Chimerical: unreal; imaginary; visionary

Though all of these words sum up the career of Barry Wagner quite well, I’m going to add one more phrase to the list.

The greatest.

Now sixteen years and fifteen days later, Barry Wagner will be honored, not only by the Orlando Predators, but by the entire Arena Football League for his achievements that will absolutely never be matched.

For years, my mother has worn her #82 jersey to the Jungle game in, and game out.  Wagner clearly touched not only her heart, but the hearts of every fan of the Arena Football League.

Ironman football may be a thing of the past, but the roots of the AFL start with Barry Wagner.

Congratulations on a storied career, Barry.  You will be missed by each and every one of us on the field, but your legend will live on forever.