Sid Wagner
Encyclopedia
Sidney P. "Sid" Wagner was an American football
lineman for the Michigan State Spartans
and for the Detroit Lions
in the National Football League
. Wagner was a consensus All-American in 1935. He was five-feet, eleven inches tall, and weighed 192 pounds while he was active as a football player.
in 1912 and attended Lansing Central High School. After high school, Wagner enrolled at Michigan State College
in nearby East Lansing, Michigan
. Wagner played on the first Michigan State team to defeate the Michigan Wolverines football
team in consecutive years. Wagner was a junior in 1934, and the Spartans had not defeated the Wolverines since 1916. Wagner was one of the stars of the 1934 Michigan State team the ended the losing streak with a 16-0 win over Michigan. The celebration in East Lansing following the win over Michigan was reportedly "so euphoric" that Michigan State President Robert Shaw "cancelled Monday classes so it could continue." The 1934 Spartans finished with an 8-1 record.
In 1935, the Spartans beat the Wolverines again, this time by a score of 25-6, marking the first time the Spartans won two consecutive games against the Wolverines. Wagner was ranked as one of the top linemen in 1935. The Spartan Sports Encyclopedia described him as "light, aggressive, a superb blcoker and deadly tackler." He was credited with 23 tackles in a 1935 game against Boston College
. At the end of the 1935 season, Wagner was recognized as a consensus All-American at the guard
position after receiving first-team All-American designations from the United Press, International News Service
, the New York Sun
, and Liberty Magazine (selected based on a poll of 1521 varsity players in all parts of the country). In selecting him as a first-team All-American, the United Press wrote the following about Wagner: "Wagner is a ball hawk, a dependable leader of interference and rated by teammates and rivals as the fastest lineman today. Even in defeat Wagner was great." He was named the Spartan "Athlete of the Year" for the 1935-1936 school year.
Wagner was drafted by the Detroit Lions
in the first round of the 1936 NFL Draft
. The 1936 draft was the first for the NFL, and Wagner was the first first-round pick for the Lions and the eighth pick overall in the inaugural draft. Wagner played in only five games in 1936. However, Detroit coach Potsy Clark announced a shakeup in his lineup in early November 1936, including the designation of Wagner as a starter in place of Sam Knox at left guard. Once he made the starting lineup, Wagner stayed. He played in all eleven games for the Lions in both the 1937 and 1938 seasons. However, in August 1939, Wagner announced his retirement from football, telling reporters that he intended to "devote all of his time to a promising career as an engineer."
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...
lineman for the Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
and for the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Wagner was a consensus All-American in 1935. He was five-feet, eleven inches tall, and weighed 192 pounds while he was active as a football player.
Biography
Wagner was born in Lansing, MichiganLansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
in 1912 and attended Lansing Central High School. After high school, Wagner enrolled at Michigan State College
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in nearby East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
. Wagner played on the first Michigan State team to defeate the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team in consecutive years. Wagner was a junior in 1934, and the Spartans had not defeated the Wolverines since 1916. Wagner was one of the stars of the 1934 Michigan State team the ended the losing streak with a 16-0 win over Michigan. The celebration in East Lansing following the win over Michigan was reportedly "so euphoric" that Michigan State President Robert Shaw "cancelled Monday classes so it could continue." The 1934 Spartans finished with an 8-1 record.
In 1935, the Spartans beat the Wolverines again, this time by a score of 25-6, marking the first time the Spartans won two consecutive games against the Wolverines. Wagner was ranked as one of the top linemen in 1935. The Spartan Sports Encyclopedia described him as "light, aggressive, a superb blcoker and deadly tackler." He was credited with 23 tackles in a 1935 game against Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. At the end of the 1935 season, Wagner was recognized as a consensus All-American at the guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
position after receiving first-team All-American designations from the United Press, International News Service
International News Service
International News Service was a U.S.-based news agency founded by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst in 1909.Established two years after the Scripps family founded the United Press Association, INS scrapped among the newswires...
, the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
, and Liberty Magazine (selected based on a poll of 1521 varsity players in all parts of the country). In selecting him as a first-team All-American, the United Press wrote the following about Wagner: "Wagner is a ball hawk, a dependable leader of interference and rated by teammates and rivals as the fastest lineman today. Even in defeat Wagner was great." He was named the Spartan "Athlete of the Year" for the 1935-1936 school year.
Wagner was drafted by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
in the first round of the 1936 NFL Draft
1936 NFL Draft
The 1936 National Football League Draft was the first draft of the National Football League. It took place on February 8, 1936 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has taken place every year since. The draft was instituted in an effort to equalize strength amongst the...
. The 1936 draft was the first for the NFL, and Wagner was the first first-round pick for the Lions and the eighth pick overall in the inaugural draft. Wagner played in only five games in 1936. However, Detroit coach Potsy Clark announced a shakeup in his lineup in early November 1936, including the designation of Wagner as a starter in place of Sam Knox at left guard. Once he made the starting lineup, Wagner stayed. He played in all eleven games for the Lions in both the 1937 and 1938 seasons. However, in August 1939, Wagner announced his retirement from football, telling reporters that he intended to "devote all of his time to a promising career as an engineer."