Wedemeyer died early Thursday in a San Jose hospital of pneumonia and was surrounded by family and friends, said his wife, Lucy. His throat cleared and, for the first time in months, he drank bowls of soup without choking. "Getting a second chance to play them was a gift, thanks to Roosevelt.". Many of his former players consider him their most inspirational coach by far, among them Buffalo Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, who played at Los Gatos High and later Stanford University. Son Kale, 37, a former football star at Los Gatos and University of the Pacific, is a doctor at Stanford with a specialty in pain management. Wedemeyer was a successful coach at Los Gatos High School, even after being diagnosed at 30 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Thats just one example of how the Wedemeyers made their lives seem more fun than it surely was. A high school coachs invaluable role too often is lost in a sports world focused the attention that the College Football Playoff and the Super Bowl attracts. Year after year, Charlie kept living, in remarkable ways. Wedemeyer went to see Griffin, the Los Gatos team doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. It was like having your professor help you take the test, said Downs of his years coaching with Wedemeyer. 1964: Excelled in football, basketball and baseball at Punahou School; named years later as Hawaiis Prep Athlete of the 1960s by a Honolulu newspaper. WebQuiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story (TV Movie 1988) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Wedemeyer was the last of nine children born to Bill and Ruth Wedemeyer. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosismore commonly known as Lou Gehrigs diseaseand it was estimated that he had only two or three years to live. I am disappointed, Charlie told me through Lucy when I went to talk with them about the situation. Through 41 years of marriage, Lucy has remained funny, upbeat, vivacious and strong, even if she privately struggled at times to cope. He is the son of the famed Brooklyn Dodger catcher, whose own wonderful life was shattered when he was paralyzed after an automobile accident. The remarkable run broke a 6-6 tie in the third quarter as Punahou went on to beat Kamehameha 20-6 in the ILH playoff game on Thanksgiving Day. Lucy said Daugherty stayed in touch with Wedemeyer throughout his post-Michigan State days. "But since mine has full GI system involvement, it is going to be a chronic lifelong issue. Wedemeyer played quarterback on the football team along with basketball and baseball at Punahou, the alma mater of President Barack Obama. "I'm still very excited. He was one of 11 Hawaiians Kauliukukui steered to Michigan State 10 under head coach Duffy Daugherty, 1954 to 1972, and one under Muddy Waters, Carter Kamana, 1981-84. He has been hospitalized since March, undergoing three surgeries. Clad in a black Los Gatos coaching shirt, Wedemeyer is ready to go. They would go by and touch Charlie after they were introduced before the game.. When the cheerleading coach broke the news to Katrina Kohel that she was the only one left on the cheer squad, Kohel was determined to compete anyway. First, he takes a shower while lying in bed. When the mood strikes sometimes in the middle of the night hell order his nurse into the kitchen and direct a recipe of his own. Three Bay Area men, including justice reform activist, plead guilty in Norteo RICO murder case, Californias hardest to book campground isnt in a famous park. He lived for 32 years before the disease took his life in the early morning hours of June 3. We have been blessed. It is the honest moments in the script that put "Quiet Victory" a cut above most inspirational sports movies. Confined to a golf cart on the sideline, Charlie brought in Lucy as his voice and translator. He wanted to wet the fingers and throw a spitter.. Dick Sparrer is the editor of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times and Saratoga News, and sports editor for the Los Gatos, Saratoga, Campbell, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and San Jose weekly newspapers. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Charlie Wedemeyer and Lucy Dangler, people with drastically different backgrounds, met at the bookstore on the first day of their sophomore year at Punahou Kaulukukui stocked Michigan States 1966 national championship roster with three Hawaiians who faced Notre Dame in the Game of the Century, Nov. 19, 1966 at Spartan Stadium. He asked me to take the first two fingers on his right hand and hold them to his mouth, Lucy recalled later. Your browser's security settings are preventing some features from appearing. The Honolulu Advertiser's Hawai'i Prep Athlete of the Decade. A graduate of Occidental College, hes a two-time winner of California Sportswriter of the Year and first place for beat writing by Associated Press Sports Editors. He was a first-team all-star with teammate Norm Chow when Punahou won the ILH basketball title in 1964, and played second base on the school's 1965 ILH championship baseball team. One of the most versatile athletes locally, Wedemeyer earned nine varsity letters in a brilliant high school career. Or, we can choose to go through the situation knowing we will become better and stronger for it. He can smell, but he cant sniff, so once inside the restaurant he couldnt recapture the scent. She would eventually see a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, who told her it was triggered by the virus causing COVID-19 a very rare condition called Post-COVID Viral Gastroparesis. Offensively, he was honestly ahead of his time at the high school level, said Cattolico. Charlie Wedemeyer was having difficulty writing on the chalkboard in his classroom. Their marriage is blessed with two daughters, Sydney and Sawyer, now aged 24 and Charlie didnt diplomatically recognize the word. Hes the most amazing guy youll ever meet, the person told me. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. We literally begged the doctor to change the order, she said. And what, exactly, did Charlie say this time? Indiana high school basketball has its Bobby Plump, the real-life Jimmy Chitwood, in the movie Hoosiers. Hawaii of the 1960s had its Charlie Wedemeyer, The God of Lightning, the Hawaiian translation of Kalekauwila (or Charles in English). Simonson called Wedemeyer a great example for everyone. The rookie nurses have passed the first test. She insisted that the hospital find one. To nominate a business demonstrating outstanding respect for its employees, community and the environment, visit Great Place to Work. I was the one who said, Probably two or three years. Thats what the medical books said at the time. Feb. 19, 1946: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the youngest of nine children to Bill and Ruth Wedemeyer. "With no nutrition.". His island shaka spirit with Hawaiian/German ancestry returns home to Hawaii for his posthumous induction into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on Jan. 21 in Hawaii. They did. "And just through my own experience in the last couple years, it has really solidified that's where I want to be.". This is not to say "Quiet Victory" doesn't rely upon some sporting cliches. The incurable disease attacks the nervous system and destroys the ability of people to control their muscles. His whole ego and sense of accomplishment were all wrapped up by what he did on the field. Los Gatos defeated neighboring St. Francis of Mountain View 14-12 on Dec. 1985 in the Central Coastal Section championship game. The Wedemeyers are in a constant battle with their medical provider to cover services. "We are thrilled to be grandparents. Mike Harrington: His team looks good, even without Alex Tuch. The Polynesian Hall induction brings full circle one more aspect of Wedemeyers life. But were not going to be able to do it without you., Recalling the scene, Scialabba, 40, now a teacher and assistant coach at Los Gatos, said, He looked like a skeleton on the bed there. Played in 1969 East-West Shrine Game in San Francisco and the 1969 Hula Bowl. Lucy, daughter Carrie and son Kale (Charles in Hawaiian) are attending the enshrinement at the Polynesian Cultural Center. ", "My goal has always been to be able to go back and finish and help others in the way that the staff at Riverside [an OhioHealth hospital in Columbus] and Cleveland Clinic have helped me," she says. 2010new Date().getFullYear()>&document.write("-"+new Date().getFullYear());, Company. They waste away, then go away. Remembering Charlie Wedemeyer. After being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, he continued to teach and coach football at Los Gatos High School. My new book Coming soon:THE RIGHT THING TO DO Duffy and the True 1960s Pioneers, North and South, I couldnt help but think of how many people had helped me along the way. After his graduation from Punahou in 1965 he attended Michigan State University where he played for coach Duffy Daugherty. But as the months went by, he got worse, and the chalk began dropping to the floor. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves, be bitter and angry and cause everybody else and us to be miserable. "He was determined to win, especially when he had ended up in Kaiser Hospital after the first time they played," Lucy wrote in a recent e-mail. June 29, 1995: Inducted into first class of the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame along with Lucy. Between Two Women. While Amherst police were on the scene, a number of fights started among groups within the crowd in the mall lot on Alberta and in the Wegmans, A 37-year-old Buffalo firefighter died while fighting a four-alarm blaze on Main Street downtown that may have been sparked by work being done, The new renderings released by the Bills include an up-close view from the field level, three exterior stadium views with more detail than has. He went to see to Dr. Frank Griffin, the team physician for the Wildcats, and the news was frightening. Michael Nouri portrayed Wedemeyer in the 1988 made-for-TV movie Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story filmed at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, South Carolina. Two decades ago, Steve Mariucci inaugurated the San Francisco 49ers annual Charlie Wedemeyer Prep Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year awards while he was the 49ers head coach, 1997-2002. Charlie Wedemeyer, the inspirational high school football coach who battled Lou Gehrigs disease for more than 30 years, has died. Everyone who had the disease died in three years. They recognize the words that signal a potential crisis. Wedemeyers final game in seven years as the head coach included a Hollywood ending. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Hawaii says aloha to Charlie Wedemeyer. After the diagnosis, the Los Gatos principal told Wedemeyer he could stay as head coach as long as he wished until 1986, when the principal changed his mind and gave the job to one of Charlies assistants. Services Kale, then 15, saved him by sticking a catheter down his throat, clearing an airway and forcing him to gag and cough. "She's a saint for pushing that thing," says Cercena. He married his high school sweetheart and was the proud father of a boy and a girl. What happened that season was pure Hollywood. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? His legacy has lived on for how he carried himself and for the love he had for his players and other coaches. Cercena was diagnosed with gastroparesis, a relatively uncommon disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from the stomach to the small intestine. 11 ratings2 reviews. I was in tears.. The victory served as the climax of a television movie made about Charlies life. They did. Wedemeyer played in the East-West Shrine Game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and then came back home to play in the 1969 Hula Bowl. The Polynesian The last person in line was a boy, broken down by a hard-driving father. In 1978, while he was the head football coach at Los Gatos High School, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He continued to be a coach at the high school and be part of it all for 30 years.. Charlie Wedemeyer defied the odds and broke all of the records. For a guy who had always been an exceptional athlete, the loss of such simple motor skills was both confusing and disturbing. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}330046N 800509W / 33.0126715N 80.0859218W / 33.0126715; -80.0859218. He had that explosiveness. A native Hawaiian, Mr. Wedemeyer was the youngest of nine children. As he forms the words, the nurses repeat in unison: Wedemeyer smiles. He was named head coach in 1977. But it took more than 30 seconds, seemingly eons to Kamehameha defenders, because Wedemeyer went back to the 25-yard line for an errant lateral by a teammate who was about to be tackled. The other looks at Wedemeyer quizzically, scribbling notes in frantic fashion (lips go up more on T; teeth slide more on R) and squinting at his mouth as he tries again. Moved by her resilience, Tejada reached out to Cercena and told her that when she is ready, there will be a spot for her in one of OhioHealth's emergency departments for a training immersion program. The Los Gatos frosh-soph squad had a successful run during that period, dominating the competition in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. Ventilators, for example, cost $150 a month to rent but are not covered, even though Wedemeyer needs them to survive. Samantha Cercena in December, 2021 with younger sister Alex, and a neighbor's children. Still upbeat and full of smiles despite a body betrayed by ALS. This is a wonderful Christmas movie. But Wedemeyer never left football. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. He made us better in the early years.. We wouldnt have done what we were able to do without him. Shes looking to get smoked; Messages reveal aggressive threats from suspect on morning of San Carlos beheading, Antioch council ends remote-meeting options for members and the public, Zoom chops about 200 jobs in Bay Area, tech layoffs mount, The 10 most expensive reported home sales in Hayward the week of Feb. 20. Early in his battle with the disease, he lost the ability to walk and speak. Unable to walk long distances, Cercena uses a wheelchair on frequent walks with her mother around the neighborhood. 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