John Wangler
John "Johnny" Wangler is an American former football quarterback. He played for the University of Michigan from 1977 to 1980. During the 1979 and 1980 seasons, Wangler and Anthony Carter formed one of the most successful passing combinations in Michigan Wolverines football history. Wangler's game-ending touchdown pass to Carter in the 1979 Indiana game led Michigan's famed radio announcer, Bob Ufer, to exclaim, "Johnny Wangler to Anthony Carter will be heard until another 100 years of Michigan football is played!" After suffering what appeared to be a career-ending knee injury in the 1979 Gator Bowl, Wangler came back and led the 1980 Michigan Wolverines football team to a Big Ten Conference championship and its first victory in the Rose Bowl Game since the 1964 season. Upon completing his career at Michigan, Wangler ranked second all-time among Michigan quarterbacks in most career passing statistics, including passing yardage, touchdown passes, yards per completion and completion percentage.
Shrine High School
Wangler attended Shrine Catholic High School in Royal Oak, Michigan, where he starred in both football and basketball. Wangler later recalled, "There is a great tradition and pride in putting on the Shrine basketball jersey. You represent the generations of players, teams and coaches every time you step on that court." In 2009, Wangler was one of the initial inductees into the Shrine High School Hall of Fame.University of Michigan
Early years at Michigan
Wangler enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1976. As a true freshman, he was considered a contender to be the backup to Michigan's starting quarterback, Rick Leach. However, he appeared only briefly in three games in 1976, completing one of two passes for eight yards.In 1977, Wangler made two brief appearances as a substitute for Leach. In a 63-20 victory over Northwestern, Wangler threw only one pass, and it was good for 34 yards and a touchdown to Alan Mitchell.
Wangler missed the 1978 season due to a pinched nerve in his neck or shoulder.
1979 season
Rick Leach was Michigan's starting quarterback in 47 of 48 games from 1975 to 1978. With his graduation, considerable media attention was focused on the competition to replace him in 1979. The leading contenders were Wangler and B.J. Dickey. Dickey won the starting assignment, though Wangler was given substantial playing time as a backup and was the starting quarterback in four games. During the 1979 season, Wangler completed 78 of 130 passes for 1,431 yards. His 60% completion percentage set a new single-season record for Michigan quarterbacks with at least 25 pass attempts.Dickey started the season opener against Northwestern, but Wangler played in the second half. Wangler completed five of six passes for 67 yards. In the third quarter, Wangler connected with Anthony Carter for a 12-yard touchdown pass—the first of many touchdown passes from Wangler to Carter during the 1979 and 1980 seasons.
Wangler also played as a substitute for Dickey in a 12-10 loss to Notre Dame. Wangler replaced Dickey in the final two minutes of the game. He completed three passes for 29 yards and took the Wolverines from their own 42-yard line to the Notre Dame 20-yard line before Michigan running back, Stanley Edwards, was thrown for a five-yard loss. Michigan's attempt at a game-winning 42-yard field goal was blocked with one second left in the game.
After nearly leading a comeback against Notre Dame, Wangler was given the starting assignment against Kansas. Wangler led the Wolverines to a 28-7 win as he completed 12 of 18 passes for 195 yards, including an eight-yard touchdown pass to Doug Marsh.
The following week, Wangler played the entire game at quarterback in a 14-10 come-from-behind win against California. He completed 9 of 21 passes for 210 yards, including a 58-yard pass to Doug Marsh. In its game coverage, the Associated Press wrote that "John Wangler brought alive a sluggish Michigan offense."
Against Minnesota in the sixth game, Wangler came into the game as a substitute for Dickey and completed three of five passes for 39 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass to Lawrence Reid.
In Michigan's eighth game against an unranked Indiana team, Wangler had his most replayed moment in a Michigan uniform. Dickey started the game, and Wangler entered the game as a substitute. The game was tied at 21-21 in the fourth quarter. There was no overtime in college football, and Michigan fans would have regarded a tie as the equivalent of a defeat. With six seconds left on the clock, Michigan had the ball on the Indiana 45-yard line. Wangler dropped back to pass from his own 45-yard line, and his pass hit Anthony Carter at the 23-yard line. Carter ran into the end zone as time ran out to give the Wolverines a 27-21 victory. The play was made famous by Bob Ufer's colorful and emotional radio narration as the play unfolded. A portion of Ufer's oft-replayed call follows:
"Under center is Wangler at the 45, he goes back. He's looking for a receiver. He throws downfield to Carter. Carter has it. Carter scores.... I have never seen anything like this in all my 40 years of covering Michigan football.... I hope you can hear me – because I've never been so happy in all my cotton-picking 59 years!... Johnny Wangler to Anthony Carter will be heard until another 100 years of Michigan football is played!... Meeeshigan wins, 27 to 21. They aren't even going to try the extra point. Who cares? Who gives a damn?"
Wangler completed 10 of 14 passes for 163 yards in the Indiana game. The game-ending pass from Wangler to Carter has been called "the greatest single play in the 100-year history of Michigan football."
The following week, Wangler got the start for only the second time in his career. He led Michigan to an impressive 54-0 win over Wisconsin. Butch Woolfolk rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns, and Wangler completed 10 of 13 passes for 219 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Doug Marsh. The Gannett News Service wrote: "Michigan, riding the arm of quarterback John Wangler and the fancy footwork of tailback Butch Woolfolk, rolled all over hapless Wisconsin here Saturday afternoon, 54-0."
Wangler got his third start in a 24-21 loss to Purdue. Wangler was intercepted four times in the game, twice in the first quarter. After allowing Purdue to take a 14-0 lead, Wangler nearly led the Wolverines to a come-from-behind victory. Late in the third quarter, Wangler led a 69-yard drive that was capped by a touchdown pass to Doug Marsh. Purdue responded with a field goal, and on Michigan's first drive in the fourth quarter, Wangler gave up his fourth interception. Purdue took a 24-6 lead with 10:27 to play. Roosevelt Smith scored for Michigan with 8:21 left, and Michigan recovered a Purdue fumble with 7:09 left. Wangler's passing led the Wolverines to the Purdue three-yard line, and Woolfolk scored with 5:34 left. After Andy Cannavino intercepted a Mark Herrmann pass, Wangler led Michigan to the Purdue two-yard line, but he was sacked on fourth down, allowing Purdue to run out the clock. Wangler completed 14 of 28 passes in the game for 159 yards.
In the final game of the regular season, Michigan lost to Ohio State, 18-15. Freshman Rich Hewlett got the start at quarterback, as Schembechler tried to surprise Ohio State with an option offense. The strategy did not work, and Wangler was brought into the game with 3:48 left in the first half. After entering the game, Wangler led the Wolverines 80 yards in seven plays for their first score. The big play of the drive was a 66-yard pass from Wangler to Carter who took the ball to the Ohio State 19-yard line. Wangler completed four of nine passes for 133 yards and added 25 rushing yards.
1979 Gator Bowl and knee injury
Michigan ended the regular season with an 8-3 record and accepted an invitation to play against North Carolina in the Gator Bowl. Wangler started for Michigan in the Gator Bowl and got the Wolverines off to a quick start. He opened the game with a 47-yard pass completion to Carter. In the first quarter-and-a-half of play, Wangler completed 6-of-8 passes for 203 yards. Michigan's first score came on a field goal in the first minute of the second quarter. With 9:47 left in the half, Wangler threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Carter who was open at the North Carolina 20-yard line and ran untouched into the end zone.On the next drive, with Michigan leading, 9-0, Wangler was sacked by North Carolina's Lawrence Taylor midway through the second quarter. Following the sack, Wangler reportedly screamed in agony. The hit resulted in torn ligaments in Wangler's knee, and he was unable to return to the game. North Carolina outscored Michigan, 17-6, after Wangler left the game. Despite the loss, Wangler was named co-MVP of the game. After the game, Schembechler said, "Wangler hit some big plays. Losing him was one of those things. A good football team has to overcome that."
Dr. Gerald O'Connor, Michigan's team physician, operated on Wangler's knee. He reported that two cross ligaments in Wangler's knee were completely ruptured, and there was also torn cartilage. O'Connor later recalled, "Usually, that type of injury is not compatible to coming back to the level that Wangler did..." Schembechler added, "I never thought he'd play again. It was a courageous and remarkable comeback -- and a great job of surgery. After he got the cast off, he just about never left the weight room or the training room."
Schembechler did not include Wangler in his plans for the 1980 season, but Wangler spent the summer in Ann Arbor working with offensive guard Kurt Becker to rehabilitate the knee. Becker recalled that Wangler's recuperation was difficult: "There was so much pain involved that there were tears in his eyes." Wangler described his rehabilitation as follows:
"Maybe I was naive, but I never had a doubt I'd play again. I wasn't ready to end my career. I'd do anything to play. The cast came off March 1st and by August 1st I knew I'd be able to play. I worked out four to five hours every day with weights, running, bicycling and swimming."
In his book, The Blind Side, Michael Lewis cited Taylor's sack of Wangler as an example of the vulnerability of quarterbacks. Taylor later ended Joe Theisman's career as well. Lewis wrote, "Before Taylor hit him, Wangler had been a legitimate NFL prospect." Wangler told Lewis, "I was invited to try out for the Lions and Cowboys, but everyone was kind of afraid of the severity of my injury."