Robert C. Wagner (born May 16, 1947) is a former
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, Wagner became assistant coach at the
College of Wooster, then became an assistant at the
University of Washington under
Don James in 1976.
Wagner became an assistant coach at
Hawaii in 1977 under
Larry Price, then was promoted to defensive coordinator under
Dick Tomey in 1983. 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
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
was
Georgia Tech 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.
Wagner was out of coaching for a few years, but after the 1997 season ended, Wagner agreed to take over the
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
position for
TCU TCU may stand for:
Education
* Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania
* Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas
** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school
* Tok ...
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.
Wagner served as the
athletic director 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