"And then about a week and a half in, all of a sudden, I just was not able to keep anything down at all," she recalls. His body is the equivalent of a 160-pound rag doll, and he must be lifted and maneuvered so that pants and shirts can be put on despite the tracheotomy and feeding tubes sticking out of his body. 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. 1968: Invited to play in East-West Shrine and Hula Bowl college all-star games. The two tied the knot in 1995 and have remained the ultimate sweethearts to date. For a guy who had always been an exceptional athlete, the loss of such simple motor skills was both confusing and disturbing. The northern California high school all-star football game in San Jose, celebrating its 35th year, is named the Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game in his honor. In 1984, during an especially difficult time, a tearful Wedemeyer told his wife, Lucy, You and the children would be better off if I died.. Menu. When he got up to leave, Scialabba placed his hand on Wedemeyers shoulder and said, Coach, its going to be an awesome season this year. He played two years of semi-pro football for the Lansing (Mich.) All-Stars. WEDEMEYER'S INSPIRATIONAL STORY DEMONSTRATES POWER OF LOVE, GRIT HONEST MOMENTS IN THE SCRIPT GIVE MOVIE A SINGULAR STRENGTH. Heres a guy who could have been a good high school coach. Born Feb. 19, 1946, in Honolulu, Wedemeyer was a football star while growing up in Hawaii and at Michigan State University. 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. But 30 years after his diagnosis, Wedemeyer is still here. The victory served as the climax of a television movie made about Charlies life. Kale, then 15, saved him by sticking a catheter down his throat, clearing an airway and forcing him to gag and cough. I was the one who said, Probably two or three years. Thats what the medical books said at the time. Unable to walk long distances, Cercena uses a wheelchair on frequent walks with her mother around the neighborhood. Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story. It emphasizes the importance of love and family, without ignoring the conflicting feelings and burdens that resulted from Wedemeyer's obsessive struggle to continue his life as normally as possible. Although he was initially given one to three years to live, Wedemeyer continued to coach, leading Los Gatos to a 78-18-1 record and seven league titles. You can take care of somebody for a week, but when its 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year . In October 2020, 22-year-old Samantha Cercena was looking forward to finishing her senior year at Ohio University and graduating in the spring with a nursing degree, her childhood dream. The family has been through desperate times, but those days seem far away. Both played for Piedmont Hills-San Jose. Wedemeyer, who died in 2010, was a former Los Gatos High School teacher football coach who continued to teach and coach after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 1978. Finally, a nurse took Lucy aside. When its time to leave, Wedemeyer is hoisted into the van by three people, including a nurse who holds a portable air bag to his throat until his respirator is plugged into the vehicles generator. Wedemeyer was rushed to Santa Teresa Community Hospital, but for three days Charlie lapsed in and out of consciousness. Their marriage is blessed with two daughters, Sydney and Sawyer, now aged 24 and Trending. His teams continued to excel, reaching the Central Coast Section semifinals in 1984, then claiming the ultimate prize a year later with a 14-12 win over St. Francis in the finals to win the CCS Division I championship. Spartan Verses was a book of poems by Michigan States Pat Gallinagh, an Academic All-American defensive lineman on the Spartans 1965 and 1966 national championship teams. She said the doctor first resisted, contending that Charlie would be susceptible to infection, but then performed the tracheotomy. Los Gatos reached the Central Coast Section Division I championship game and beat favored St. Francis 14-12 on a blocked field goal in the final minute. His legacy has lived on for how he carried himself and for the love he had for his players and other coaches. Some ALS families dont go anywhere, but lifes too short.. The last two weeks were actually a gift to me, kind of getting us ready, his wife said. During one such visit to a small Chinese place in Los Gatos, Wedemeyer was struck by the aroma as the front door opened. 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Wedemeyer was especially gifted as an offensive coach. Offensively, he was honestly ahead of his time at the high school level, said Cattolico. About five minutes after I moved to San Jose in 1984, someone told me about Charlie Wedemeyer. I cant imagine. He was confined to a wheelchair and talked to his players through Lucy, using a language of blinks, eyebrow raises and cheek twitches to communicate with her. This still didnt prevent Charlie from impishly suggesting that he was going to attend Los Gatos home games wearing a Nike headband on which someone had printed the following words: EXCUSE ME FOR LIVING. The euphoria was short-lived. 4.27. He lived for 32 years before the disease took his life in the early morning hours of June 3. Best of 2022 Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Top 250 TV Shows Most Popular TV Shows Most Popular Video Games Most Popular Music Videos Most Popular Podcasts. Charlie never had to pay, said Lucy of their favorite restaurant stop. This is pure joy for our family, Lucy said. Scott Downs, Los Gatos assistant principal and former frosh-soph football head coach, worked with Wedemeyer for nine seasons. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Behind the scenes sports news. 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. But his life itself is testimony to his really strong commitment to getting the job done. Charlie Wedmeyer is survived by his wife, Lucy; his son, Dr. Kale Wedemeyer; his daughter, Carri Andry; seven grandchildren; and five sisters and one brother. 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. You have to accept it, grow with it and move on.. A nurse pries his mouth open, brushes his teeth and suctions out the foam and rinse water. Samantha Cercena in December, 2021 with younger sister Alex, and a neighbor's children. He finally had to give up coaching, but continued to go on speaking engagements at schools, churches, service groups, hospitals and even prisons, the first at O'ahu Community Correctional Center during a visit in 1989. Dec. 26, 1988: Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, a TV movie, airs on national network television. In 1985, his team won the Central Coast Section Championship with Lucy, on the sidelines again, reading his lips and relaying his plays to the assistant coaches. Charlie, though, didn't squirm like his brother, Herman, an All-American at St. Mary's, but feinted, side-stepped, dodged and eluded every would-be tackler to step into the 'ewa end zone. Cheering on the sidelines was Lucy Dangler, Wedemeyer's high school sweetheart and now his wife of 42 years. 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. Everybody at the school thought that was pretty darn neat. [1] He was the younger brother of Herman Wedemeyer, the actor who played Duke on the CBS television series Hawaii Five-O. Weakened by her ordeal, Cercena could not complete her final coursework to graduate in May. In the early years of his illness, Wedemeyer prayed to God that he could get to see his two children, Carri and Kale, grow up to graduate from high school and then college. Feb. 19, 1946: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the youngest of nine children to Bill and Ruth Wedemeyer. He thought that striving for anything less than the very best was unacceptable., Simonson went on to say that Wedemeyers determination could sometimes make him a hard man to live with. He has been hospitalized since March, undergoing three surgeries. But it was quite a ride literally, in Charlies specially equipped wheelchair. All these people who look perfect and yet are broken inside.. College career: Played wide receiver and blocking back for Duffy Daugherty's Michigan State Spartans. But the franchise has remained committed to honoring coaches in Wedemeyers name through his death and the franchise changing head coaches. It was an absolute miracle, Lucy said. Within moments, he felt a surge of power and peace course through his body. "And it has never changed. Realizing the weight of the moment, Lucy measured her response carefully. He was. Wedemeyers favorite joke: When a nervous new nurse carefully suctions his throat, he rolls his head to one side and contorts his face in agony. Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. As he moves from the strong athlete to a man whose degenerative disease causes slurred speech and a loss of motor skills, Nouri gives this role a quiet dignity. Because Wedemeyer cannot swallow, his meals a concoction of liquid nutrition formula, juices, pureed fruit, herbs and vitamins are siphoned through a rubber hose into a hole in his stomach. The good fight part lasted about 30 years longer than anyone thought. His presence was there and it was felt by everybody., Rabitz says he still feels Wedemeyers impact today. Charlie Wedemeyer (February 19, 1946 June 3, 2010) was a high school teacher and football coach. After being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, he continued to teach and coach football at Los Gatos High School. He was 64. Your browser's security settings are preventing some features from appearing. Wedemeyer was a football, basketball and baseball star at Honolulus Punahou School, where he met Lucy, a cheerleader. Cercena obtained very little nutrition, losing 40 pounds by March and ultimately requiring feedings through a surgically implanted tube. By then, Wedemeyer was sick, but Rabitz said he was always around the football field helping out. The movie ends shortly after Los Gatos dramatically clinched the California State championship with Charlie as coach. Two films have portrayed Wedemeyers life. lcules Flashdance i Ocult , i ha aparegut en diverses Obres de Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. We wouldnt have done what we were able to do without him. One of the most versatile athletes locally, Wedemeyer earned nine varsity letters in a brilliant high school career. Receiver and defensive back Craig Springbett recalled Wedemeyer as a great coach. Hopefully parents provide influence, but sometimes its a particular coach or two. I am disappointed, Charlie told me through Lucy when I went to talk with them about the situation. He was the finest blocker on our team. Dec. 13, 1985: Los Gatos wins first Central Coast Section football championship, with Charlie calling the plays through Lucy while sitting in a golf cart. In the spring of 1986, after nine seasons as head coach, Wedemeyer was fired because of the burden his illness had placed on his assistants. They waste away, then go away. Doctors always wanted Charlie to behave like a normal ALS patient and die gently after the good fight. The Polynesian Hall induction brings full circle one more aspect of Wedemeyers life. Only 10 percent live longer than a decade. Wedemeyer went to see Griffin, the Los Gatos team doctor and an orthopedic surgeon. He continues to astound the medical world with his indomitable will to live despite being stricken by Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) 32 years ago. Wedemeyer, with his loving and dedicated wife Lucy constantly at his side, spit in the eye of his ALS, continuing to coach football for many years following his diagnosis. Moving Wedemeyer is difficult. So he chose not to. 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. Only while broken did he discover the man he could be and the purpose that it would serve. He traveled to Europe to give speeches and express his faith in God. Bess Meyer, who plays Charlie's daughter, Carri, does an excellent job playing the one member of the family who is so torn by her father's situation that she needs to escape to her world of music rather than deal with the reality of his illness. He asked me to take the first two fingers on his right hand and hold them to his mouth, Lucy recalled later. He cannot eat, breathe or speak on his own. His inspirational story has been the subject of a PBS documentary and now, at 9 p.m. Monday on Channel 4, is a CBS film, "Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story.". Wedemeyers body deteriorated. If it were a game of touch football, he still would have scored. Not long after Wedemeyer led the Wildcats to the CCS championship in 1985, the organizers of the Silicon Valley Youth Classic, the summer all-star football game for graduating high school seniors, contacted him with a special offer. Daughter of Rebecca Kaono Wedemeyer of Pukoa, Hawaii. Theres a place in our hearts for Charlie; hes touched so many lives., Rabitz is a 1991 Los Gatos grad. He was teaching in Flint, Mich., when in 1970 he accepted an educational fellowship in San Jose, and a teaching and coaching job at Los Gatos two years later. "WEDEMEYER'S INSPIRATIONAL STORY DEMONSTRATES POWER OF LOVE, GRIT HONEST MOMENTS IN THE SCRIPT GIVE MOVIE A SINGULAR STRENGTH", "A STRONG PERFORMANCE MAKES 'WEDEMEYER STORY', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quiet_Victory:_The_Charlie_Wedemeyer_Story&oldid=1107034756, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 August 2022, at 19:51. Wedemeyer enters the Polynesian Hall for his coaching career, but his athletic fame in Hawaii dates to the 1960s as Hawaiis Prep Athlete of the Decade. Assuming it was the result of an old football injury, he said nothing. Interestingly, the 1964 Punahou-Kamehameha playoff game was also televised live throughout the state. The unique method worked, with the cooperation of his assistant coaches. 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