Wagner
Major League Baseball (MLB) will crown new champions this fall.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers will compete for their first World Series championship in franchise history.
Just before Americans welcome a first-time baseball champion, Southwest Virginia welcomed a first-of-a-kind Hall of Famer to the region.
In October, 2025 Hall of Fame inductee Billy Wagner returned home for a dedication ceremony in downtown Tazewell.
Many in Southwest Virginia claim Billy Wagner as their own.
Wagner’s place of birth is Marion. But when he was with his aunt and uncle in his high school years, he lived in Tannersville.
He attended Tazewell High School where he was a dual-sport athlete in football and baseball.
Because of multiple broken right arms he suffered as a kid, he converted to pitching left-handed. Playing for the late Tazewell High School coach Lou Peery, Wagner became a pitching sensation.
Following his high school success, he stayed close to home playing for Ferrum College in Franklin County. After a dominant performance in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, where he set four records that stand to this day, Wagner was selected 12th overall in the 1993 MLB Draft.
To many MLB fans, Wagner is a legendary ballplayer. But to Virginians in our region, Wagner is more than that.
Wagner is a legendary human being who cares for Western Virginia.
On the day of the ceremony, I traveled to other events, including the Apple Dumpling Festival in Stuart and a fall festival thrown by the Radford Veterans of Foreign Wars.
When talking to constituents about my day’s plans, I mentioned that I’d later be attending the dedication ceremony in Tazewell.
I heard numerous accounts from people that Wagner the man was an amazing person.
One lady told me she got to know Wagner through one of his roommates at Ferrum. She recounted to me that Wagner is one of the finest men she has ever met, he cares about people and he gives back to his communities.
Wagner has a history of supporting childhood initiatives. Through the Wagner Family Foundation, Wagner helped direct resources to literacy initiatives, homeless outreach programs and organizations serving at-risk youth.
In 2005, Wagner founded the Second Chance Learning Center in Bluefield, Virginia. This Center provided tutoring and counseling services for local underserved children.
During Wagner’s 2025 Hall of Fame induction speech, he wore a Tazewell County pin and Ferrum College pin. Earlier this year, Wagner joined Ferrum baseball’s coaching staff.
Despite a time-consuming career that spanned 16 seasons and forced him to move back and forth across the country, Wagner never failed to support his family and stay connected with our region.
Wagner raised his four kids alongside his wife, Sarah, who is also a standout athlete from Ferrum College. Following her collegiate basketball career, she was inducted into the Ferrum College Hall of Fame. The Wagners deeply love their kids, including a son who plays in the MLB.
With the feedback I received, I headed to the Tazewell dedication ceremony.
I focused my remarks on the human side of Wagner that I learned about. I shared my earlier conversations in the day to highlight the kind of positive impact that Wagner had on his many friends here in Virginia.
Those that attended the ceremony included elected officials and community leaders. Coach Peery’s wife listened to Wagner comment about the role models that helped shape his life, and how her husband was almost like a father to Wagner.
The only thing that would have made the day better, according to Wagner, was if Peery was alive to celebrate this moment with him.
After opening by thanking God, Wagner’s emotional remarks praised Tazewell: “It was you guys that inspired me. The town of Tazewell means more to me than words can express…This is the hardest speech I have ever had to give, because you are my family and I love you.”
After the speeches, he threw a pitch to one of his former Tazewell teammates, who caught it on behalf of all of Wagner’s Tazewell and Ferrum teammates. It was a heater!
A new downtown park in Tazewell, “Billy Wagner Park,” features a statue of Wagner and a plaque noting his membership in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, something no other D-III athlete has ever done.
It was an honor for me to be there in person and celebrate with the community.
Wagner’s words and actions not only inspire athletes and athletic programs in our region. They inspire the human heart.
That is what Southwest Virginia is all about.
If you have questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact my office. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at https://morgangriffith.house.gov/.
