Former University of Hawaii head football coach Bob Wagner has died, aged 76.
His death, which comes after recent health challenges, was announced Wednesday.
Who was Bob Wagner ?
Coach Bob Wagner in full, Robert C. Wagner (May 16, 1947 – October 4, 2023) was an American football coach.
He was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii from 1988 to 1995 and led the Rainbow Warriors to their first top 20 finish in 1992.
Wagner graduated from Wittenburg University in 1969. He started as an assistant coach at Gallipolis High School in Ohio in 1969.
In 1971, he became head coach at River View High School in Warsaw, Ohio and led the team to its then-best season ever at 8–2. He left River View after one season to become defensive coordinator at Muskingum University.
In 1975, Bob Wagner became assistant coach at the College of Wooster, then became an assistant at the University of Washington under Don James in 1976.
Bob Wagner became an assistant coach at Hawaii in 1977 under Larry Price, then was promoted to defensive coordinator under Dick Tomey in 1983.
Bob Wagner took over the head coaching position in 1987 when Tomey left to become head coach at Arizona.
While head coach at Hawaii, Wagner led the Rainbow Warriors to their first WAC title in 1992. During most of Wagner’s tenure at Hawaii, his offensive coordinator was Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson.
Despite Wagner’s overall success, he was let go after a 4–8 season in 1995,[8] and replaced by former Bill Walsh assistant, Fred von Appen.
Wagner was out of coaching for a few years, but after the 1997 season ended, Wagner agreed to take over the defensive coordinator position for TCU under new coach Dennis Franchione.
However, his old mentor Dick Tomey called, asking if he wanted to take over an assistant position on his staff. Wagner gladly accepted and ended up coaching inside linebackers for Arizona.
Bob Wagner served as the athletic director for Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii on the Big Island for ten years, from 2002 to 2012.
Bob Wagner died at his residence in Hawaii on October 4, 2023.
Bob Wagner cause of death
Bob Wagner’s death, which comes after recent health challenges, His family said he died peacefully at home on Hawaii Island on Tuesday night.
“Our loving husband and father touched many lives throughout Hawaiʻi and will be dearly missed by all who knew him,” his family said, in a statement.
Wagner’s family added that over the last 10 years, he enjoyed retirement from Kamehameha Schools where he worked as the Hawaii Campus’ first Athletics Director.
He was also an avid traveler, seeing 67 countries with his with Gloria through their years of marriage
“As a husband and father, he always took time to celebrate the small, special moments in life that became our family traditions. Admiring beautiful sunsets, listening to surf, and enjoying our family’s favorite desserts together were just a few of them. He loved Hawaii and its people and knew he was loved and admired by family and friends before his passing,” the family’s statement said.
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