Under head coach Walt Hameline, Wagner won its first championship in school history by dominating St. John's 48–7 in November 1983, avenging one of its only two losses that season. The Seahawks scored the first four times they had the ball in the opening half. The senior class ended their careers as one of the winningest in Wagner history with a four-year record of 34–6–2. This class also played part in Wagner's first-ever NCAA appearance in 1980, and helped establish the foundation to Wagner's rise as a national power in Division III, culminating in a national championship in 1987, and eventual move to NCAA I-AA (now FCS) status.