From left to right: James Wagner (right) poses with his very beat up brother Dave - Regionals, 2000
James Wagner, along with brother Dave, led one of the most potent offensive threats UCSB has ever fielded. A perennial points leader in the WCRHL, James captained the team to several top ten finishes during his career. In 1999 he was named to the CRHL Division I First Team by leading the tournament in assists and finishing in the top five for overall points.
What’s your name?
James Wagner
So what was your nickname?
Honus... as in Honus Wagner... the most expensive baseball card ever.
How many years did you play for the team?
4 years.
What year did you graduate from UCSB?
2000.
What kind of degree did you graduate with?
BFA in Theater.
Where are you living now?
Boulder, Colorado.
What’s your occupation?
Shoot... you need me to tie it down to one thing... my energy is put towards evolving... it’s a full time gig.
Is that what you were expecting to be doing at this point in your life?
Not in the fucking least... I thought I was going to be the President of the United States.
How useful was your college experience in terms of what you’re doing now/aspiring to do?
Right on the damn money... I still perform all the time, working on putting out a spoken word album on the Dharmapop label...
What do you miss most about UCSB/Isla Vista?
The ocean, hands down flat out... I slept in ear shot of the Pacific for years and now I got these big immovable mountains. I want sunshine and salt air... not snow and 75 mile per hour winds.
Do you keep in contact with any UCSB Hockey alumni, and if so, whom?
Bryce Wietzel, Dave Wagner, Brenden Sheehey...
Are you still playing hockey? If so, where and how many times a week?
Nope... hung up the skates and moved on to new adventures... the lack of serious organization and competition made it useless. Beer leagues are bogus and don’t provide much of an edge.
Favorite memory of playing hockey at UCSB:
Good lord almighty... how do I pick? Crawling through a fountain with Mike Rankin in Florida, both of us saucy as enchiladas. My brother Dave’s season long use of one pair of underwear, Brenden Sheehey being Brenden Sheehey, Dave Salyer's homosexual tendencies, my goal in the national championship game against Michigan State... thanks Vince.
Least favorite:
Losses in nationals... to Michigan State and Cal Poly...
What, if anything, did you take away from your experience with the team?
How to lead with an unreasonable vision... it’s the only kind that gets people truly inspired... something that calls them deeper than is comfortable.
How have things seemed to change since you played here? Anything the same?
I don’t know what’s going on with UCSB hockey much... the website is a very nice addition, and some of the structures Jonathan seems to be putting in place seem excellent in terms of perpetuation of a top quality program.
What are your thoughts on the RecCen II (the site of the new hockey rink)?
You mean besides jealousy?
Here’s where you dispense some advise to the current team:
If it’s comfortable, it’s not worth doing... find a vision of yourself as individuals and as an organization that is a beacon of depth and possibility... the rewards are immeasurable... find that deep urge, that direction you truly want to move, that place that resides probably in the zone you most deeply fear, and then dive in and be ready to die trying. Anything else is just a hobby and squandered ticks on the clock...
Do you have anything else you’d like to mention to them?
You ever notice how all the important stuff hides in the nooks and crannies of diligent attention to details?
Last parting shout out, gratuitous plug or comment:
I’m always available to talk, open door policy to Gauchos...
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