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Inspirational coach Charlie Wedemeyer dies at 64

The Columbian
Published: June 4, 2010, 12:00am

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Charlie Wedemeyer, a high school coach who inspired others with his long-term battle against Lou Gehrig’s disease, has died at age 64.

His wife, Lucy, says he passed away Thursday morning in a San Jose hospital surrounded by family and friends.

Wedemeyer was a high school sports star in Hawaii before attending Michigan State University on a football scholarship.

He later became a teacher and football coach at Los Gatos High School in northern California.

At age 30, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and family members say he was given three years to live.

Despite the disease, he was still able to lead Los Gatos to seven league championships.

His story has been chronicled in the PBS documentary, “One More Season” and the CBS movie “Quiet Victory The Charlie Wedemeyer Story.”

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