Charlie Wedemeyer could consider himself one of the luckiest men
on the face of the earth. That
’s because Wedemeyer is still doing what he loves – promoting
Santa Clara County high school football and South Bay Area
charities – long after anyone thought he could. Wedemeyer
contracted Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – colloquially known
as Lou Gehrig’s disease – nearly 30 years
ago, and was given 1-3 years to live by his doctors back then.
On Wednesday last week, incredibly, Wedemeyer watched the 31st
annual Santa Clara County Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star
Football Game from his wheelchair on the artificial turf at San
Jose City College.
Charlie Wedemeyer could consider himself one of the luckiest men on the face of the earth.
That’s because Wedemeyer is still doing what he loves – promoting Santa Clara County high school football and South Bay Area charities – long after anyone thought he could. Wedemeyer contracted Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – colloquially known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – nearly 30 years ago, and was given 1-3 years to live by his doctors back then.
On Wednesday last week, incredibly, Wedemeyer watched the 31st annual Santa Clara County Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game from his wheelchair on the artificial turf at San Jose City College. Wedemeyer is on 24-hour life support, including during his annual trips to the all-star football contest. But he’s still alive. And, his spirit is also very much alive in the charitable event that bears his name.
Not only does the Almaden Valley Rotary Club-sponsored event draw many of the top football players recently graduated from Santa Clara County high schools to thrill the capacity crowds, and raise money for the Wedemeyer Foundation and the Almaden Valley Rotary Club Endowment Fund – charities which provide scholarships for area youth and help the needy – but it has also served as a stirring tribute in recent years.
After last year’s ceremony honoring the memory of Wedemeyer alum, the late Pat Tillman (Leland High, 1994), who died while serving in the U.S. military in Afghanistan, this year’s game offered a tribute that was particularly poignant tribute for many local folks.
Gilroy’s J.R. Adams, who starred at Valley Christian High in San Jose last fall before he died during a trip to Mexico earlier this year, was awarded an honorary spot on the South all-star roster for this year’s game. And, Adams family members were presented with a South all-star jersey emblazoned with his No. 3 at halftime. Adams’ South teammates also got into the act, wearing commemorative decals on their helmets in his honor.
Live Oak’s Shaun Standridge and Dustin Vertin, and Gilroy’s Jared Gamm and John Torres, joined a distinguished list of Wedemeyer alums that includes ex-Acorn stars Jeff Ulbrich and Nick Mathewson, and former Mustang standout Jeff Garcia. Other Wedemeyer alums include an impressive roster of more or less recognizable names, such as Doug Cosbie, Rich Campbell, Carl Monroe, John Tuggle, Marty Morhinweg, Ken Caminiti, Jacque Robinson, Erik Howard, Randy Kirk, Bill Haselman, Tim Ryan, and Coach Mike Holmgren.
Around the horn…
*Morgan Hill’s Jimmy Vasser was in town on Friday to help promote this weekend’s San Jose Grand Prix and check out the steady transformation of downtown San Jose into a Champ Car track. With a massive main grandstand, topped by luxury suites, being built along Almaden Blvd. (and other grandstands in other locations along the race route), and concrete barriers lining miles of downtown streets along the race route, Vasser talked enthusiastically about bringing his sport to the South Bay. Vasser, a 14-year auto racing veteran, said he’s hoping to give his sixth-place standing in the overall Champ car points a boost with a victory next Sunday. Former Hollister resident AJ Allmendinger is also slated to race. A three-day series of racing events culminates with Sunday’s main event, the Grand Prix beginning at 2pm on Sunday. Stay tuned for The Times’ conversation with Vasser in Saturday’s issue.
*Do the playoffs ever end in Morgan Hill? During my 21 months covering local sports for The Times, it has occurred to me that I have never encountered a community in which the postseason is such an integral part of nearly every sport at nearly every level. From Pony Baseball, where even the Pinto division (7-8 age group) plays well into July and the Pony division all-stars have racked up the frequent traveler miles in the last two summers, and Pop Warner, whose teams have played for Regional championships on a regular basis recently, to Live Oak High, where making the Central Coast Section playoffs are regarded as almost a matter of course, a trip into the postseason is a regular affair for Morgan Hill’s sports teams. So, now that a new high school – Sobrato – is jumping headfirst into varsity sports, will that dilute the culture of success surrounding local sports programs? I say, not a chance. Don’t be surprised if the Bulldogs just add to the local postseason tradition, maybe sooner than anyone expects. Sure, football won’t get a playoff berth after withdrawing from the Tri-County Athletic League earlier this season, and the TCAL’s a tough place for first-year programs to thrive. But once Sobrato moves (along with Live Oak) into the Blossom Valley Athletic League for 2006-07, with its tiered divisions based on a combination of previous success and enrollment, the Bulldogs will have a realistic shot at competing for the playoffs in nearly every sport. It won’t be easy finding the time to cover all that action, but it’s a nice problem for a sports editor to have. There’s something about covering the postseason that’s ennervating. It just never gets old, even in a place that makes postseason play the rule rather than the exception.
Jim Johnson is the Morgan Hill Times Sports Editor. He can be reached by phone at (408) 779-4106 (ext. 203) or by email at jj******@*************es.com
