From Division III to Cooperstown: Billy Wagner’s Hall of Fame journey began at Ferrum College
An excerpt from NCAA.org | Corbin McGuire.
Billy Wagner will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this weekend — a moment more than 30 years in the making, but one that traces back to a small college in the hills of southwest Virginia.
The bright lights of Cooperstown feel worlds away from Ferrum, a Division III school in his home state. But the school offered Wagner exactly what he needed.
"I was undersized, so I wasn't a very sought-after commodity," Wagner said. "But Ferrum was the place I landed. It ended up being a really good fit for me."
That "fit" turned into three dominant seasons and a transformation that launched one of the most electric arms baseball has ever seen. That arm went on to produce 422 career saves in the majors, eighth most in MLB history and second among left-handed pitchers, across 16 seasons. Wagner played for the Houston Astros (1995-2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004-05), New York Mets (2006-09), Boston Red Sox (2009) and Atlanta Braves (2010). He was a seven-time All-Star and one of only a handful of relievers to finish his career with more strikeouts (1,196) than innings pitched (903). He's the first left-handed relief pitcher to earn a Hall of Fame induction and the first baseball player from a Division III school to do so.
"Going through this, it's just been a buildup — a celebration of sacrifices that so many people gave for me to get to where I wanted to be. It's more of a celebration of a lot of the guys, of Division III, of the state of Virginia. There was so much to be proud of because it took a village to get me to this point, and I'm just happy that there was so much support and people for me," Wagner said. "You start looking at all the things that you've had to go through and overcome and persevere. The word perseverance comes out every time I think about how far I've come and what it took to get to this point. It is a celebration of a lot of great things and a lot of people. I benefited from them all."
At Ferrum, Wagner set NCAA Division III records for strikeouts per nine innings (19.1 in 1992) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (1.58 in 1992). He finished with a 17-3 record, a 1.63 ERA and 327 strikeouts in just 182.1 innings. By 1993, he was a first-team All-American — and a first-round MLB draft pick. He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.
