 Hagen was born in Fargo, North Dakota, son of Loren H. Hagen (1919 - 2002) and Eunice H. Harris Hagen (1921 - 2008).The family lived in Moorhead, Minnesota where he worked summers as a farm laborer and as a lifeguard.He is an Eagle Scout and was credited with saving the life of a swimmer at the Moorhead swimming pool in 1968.