An Iowa Hall of Fame baseball coach from Burlington has died. Dick Wagner died Tuesday after suffering from a lengthy illness. In 11 seasons as head baseball coach at Burlington High School, Wagner led his team to the state tournament on seven occasions and two of his teams to state championships. He was inducted into the Iowa Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.He also spent 13 years as athletic director at the school.
Former Greyhound baseball coach Dan Reid, who Wagner hired in 1991 says the things Wagner did for the community were incredible. Reid says he could talk with Wagner for hours about all aspects of life, and he will miss him greatly.
Reid just retired last year. Wagner also gave current A.D. Tom Plein his start at BHS. Plein says Wagner was a mentor to him and was a Burlington icon. After making several donations to area schools, Wagner has sports complexes named after him at Burlington, WACO and at Southeastern Community College.
While coaching, Wagner led his teams to an overall record of 393-86. In addition to being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Wagner also received the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Lyle T. Quinn Award in 1990, the organization’s highest honor.
By Michael Cation KBUR Burlington