Longtime Bay Area sportswriter Michael Wagaman dies at 59: ‘A fountain of positivity'

Charismatic local sportswriter Michael Raymond Wagaman, who worked for multiple outlets including the Chronicle, died Friday night at his Vallejo home at the age of 59. 

Wagaman was renowned for his outgoing nature and good humor and he was as well-liked by those he covered as by his fellow sportswriters.

“Wags always stood out for his incredible personality and his ability to make people laugh,” Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “No matter what he was going through, he always brought great energy to the room. You knew when Wags was there. We’re really going to miss him.”

The San Francisco Giants held a moment of silence for Wagaman before Sunday’s game and hosted Wagaman’s son, Michael Joseph Patric Wagaman, and Wagaman’s ex-wife and best friend, Loretta Abeyta, in the press box. 

Duane Kuiper paid tribute to Wagaman on the Giants’ broadcast, saying it was a “tough, tough day, to lose a really super guy.” On the Sacramento Athletics telecast, analyst Dallas Braden called Wagaman “a fountain of positivity.”

“If the saying, ‘It’s tough to have a bad day at the ballpark’ was a human, it would be Wags,” Braden said. “To be in his orbit was to truly appreciate an authentic blend of love of work and love of life that we all probably struggle to create. He will be deeply missed, to say the least.”

Wagaman was a frequent presence at Giants and A’s home games, as well as the Warriors. He became particularly close to former A’s and Giants manager Bob Melvin, who was supportive throughout Wagaman’s 2022 surgery to remove a tumor that was wrapped around Wagaman’s brain stem. 

“Wags was my Cal basketball seatmate,” Melvin said via text. “We watched many games together. Having him cover my teams on top of that was like having a family member cover me. I’ll miss him tremendously.”

Wagaman was hospitalized for three months after his brain surgery and had two strokes and a seizure. He had to learn to swallow and to walk again, but he promised his son he would be at his college graduation. Six months later, Wagaman was at UC Irvine to see Michael receive his diploma and soon after was back at work. 

“The whole time he kept saying, ‘I’m so proud of you,’ and I sat down and was like, ‘I know, Dad. I’m proud of you because you did all this to get here,'” the younger Wagaman said. “He was so determined.”

Wagaman graduated from Hogan High School and worked at the Vallejo Times Herald over two different stints, along with the Turlock Journal and Raiders publication Silver & Black Illustrated. In recent years, he freelanced extensively for the Associated Press and NBC Sports Bay Area and many other national and local outlets, including the Chronicle. 

“Mike’s comeback from brain surgery was remarkable,” AP sportswriter Janie McCauley said. “We didn’t know if we would lose him then and there, and he just had the spirit and fight that inspired everybody. Mike never appeared to feel sorry for himself. I remember how wonderful it was in April 2023 when he came back and was able to write his first game story since the procedure – he just did not get deterred, and he worked to get back to the highest level.

“We drove together to the Super Bowl this year and to the World Cup, and he was so happy to be back doing big events. The World Cup was a dream of his, bucket list, he said.”

A man of strong religious conviction who attended Century Assembly in Lodi, Wagaman was active in amateur coaching and other community efforts in and around Vallejo. He also mentored numerous young print and broadcast journalists. 

Wagaman is survived by his son, ex-wife and siblings Ernie Wagaman and Dawn Wagaman Watson, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

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This article originally published at Longtime Bay Area sportswriter Michael Wagaman dies at 59: ‘A fountain of positivity’.