Robert C. Wagner (born May 16, 1947) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach. He was the head football coach at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

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 Warsaw is a village in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States, along the Walhonding River. The population was 682 at the 2010 census. History Warsaw was laid out in 1834. It was named after Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Geography Warsaw is lo ...

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 Muskingum University is a private liberal arts college in New Concord, Ohio. Chartered in 1837 as Muskingum College, the institution is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Collectively, the university's alumni are referred to as th ...

. In 1975, Wagner became assistant coach at the

College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

, then became an assistant at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

under Don James in 1976. Wagner became an assistant coach at

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

in 1977 under Larry Price, then was promoted to defensive coordinator under

Dick Tomey Richard Hastings Tomey (June 20, 1938 – May 10, 2019) was an American football coach and player. Tomey served as the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (1977–1986), University of Arizona (1987–2000), and San Jose State ...

in 1983. Wagner took over the head coaching position in 1987 when Tomey left to become head coach at

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. 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 The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

head coach Paul Johnson. Despite Wagner's overall success, he was let go after a 4–8 season in 1995, and replaced by former Bill Walsh assistant,

Fred von Appen Frederick Martin von Appen (born March 22, 1942) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1996 to 1998, compiling a record of 5–31. He also served as an assistant ...

. 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 Dennis Wayne Franchione (born March 28, 1951), also known as Coach Fran, is a retired American football coach. He is the former head football coach at Texas State University, a position he held from 1990 to 1991, when the school w ...

. 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. Wagner served as the

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches an ...

for Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii on the Big Island for ten years, from 2002 to 2012.

Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Bob 1947 births Living people American football offensive tackles Arizona Wildcats football coaches Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football coaches Muskingum Fighting Muskies football coaches UTEP Miners football coaches Wooster Fighting Scots football coaches Wittenberg Tigers football players High school football coaches in Ohio Sportspeople from Newark, Ohio