[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 83 (Monday, May 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E504-E505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING COACH BOB ``WAGS'' WAGNER ON HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAIALI`I KAHELE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 16, 2022

  Mr. KAHELE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor University of Hawaii 
football coach Bob ``Wags'' Wagner on his 75th birthday.
  Coach Bob ``Wags'' Wagner is a two-time Conference Coach of the Year 
and led the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors to their first bowl 
game in 1989, their first Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title in 
1992, and he represented the WAC as its Champion in the 1992 Holiday 
Bowl with a win over Illinois. Coach Wags is the only University of 
Hawaii head football coach to have beaten rival BYU on multiple 
occasions in 1989, 1990 and the

[[Page E505]]

Holiday Bowl season in 1992. Coach Wags' record is 58-49-3.
  Bob Wagner was born on May 16, 1947 in Newark, Ohio to the late 
George and Jessie Wagner. The youngest of six siblings--George, Mary, 
Harriet, Dolores and Teresa--Bob grew up playing neighborhood pickup 
football and following regional collegiate football powerhouse, the 
Ohio State Buckeyes, with his family. A two-sport collegiate athlete, 
Bob was a two-time all-conference selection in football and two-time 
all-region selection in lacrosse. Bob graduated from Wittenberg 
University in 1969.
  He began his career in coaching at Gallipolis High School and River 
View High School in Ohio, before coaching at the collegiate level at 
Muskingum University and at the College of Wooster. Always drawn to the 
Pacific, Coach Wags had his first opportunity to coach Division I 
football as an assistant at the University of Washington under coach 
Don James in 1976.
  In 1977, Coach Wags came to the University of Hawaii as an assistant 
coach under Larry Price, and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 
1983 under head coach Dick Tomey. Coach Wags became head coach of the 
Rainbow Warriors in 1987, and served the University of Hawaii football 
program for almost two decades. He was inducted into the Newark 
Athletic Hall of Fame, the Wittenberg Athletics Hall of Honor, and the 
University of Hawaii Sports Circle of Honor.
  Coach Wags concluded his career in athletics leadership at Kamehameha 
Schools--and is the author of a 1993 book titled, ``Getting the Edge: 
Hawaii Football'' which details the history of football in Hawaii and 
Coach Wags' time as one of the first major college head coaches to 
embrace the spread concept of the triple-option philosophy. He 
currently enjoys his retirement on Hawaii Island with his wife and 
University of Hawaii alumna, Gloria.
  I wish Coach Wags a happy birthday, and continued health and 
happiness to he and Gloria in the years to come.

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