LOS GATOS – Danny Sullivan doesn’t need anyone to tell him why the Charlie Wedemeyer game is important.
In the mid-2000s, the current Archbishop Mitty coach was the star quarterback at Los Gatos, the same school where Wedemeyer coached starting 1970s.
Wedemeyer was diagnosed with ALS ( Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1978 and fought the debilitating condition for 32 years before dying in 2010.
Viewers from across the nation learned of Wedemeyer’s story from a PBS documentary and a made-for-TV movie. Sullivan said the Los Gatos icon had a profound in-person impact on his life.
“I will never forget the first time I was at practice near the softball field when Coach Wedemeyer’s van was being driven on the field to be parked in his spot where the QB’s spent their time working,” Sullivan told the Bay Area News Group on Wednesday morning.
“He still coached us, with the help of the incredible Lucy reading his lips and eyes as best she could, as well as help from Craig Williams.”
The lessons learned from Wedemeyer is one of the reasons Sullivan eventually began coaching.
Once a player in the game, Sullivan will coach the North team in the 49th edition of the Wedemeyer all-star game on Saturday at Los Gatos. Kickoff is 5 p.m.
It’s not a responsibility he takes lightly.
“It is a tremendous honor to be able to coach in this game involving some of the best players in Santa Clara County, as well as in a game named after an incredibly courageous man who battled ALS for 34 years of his life, while still finding ways to coach young men in the great game of football,” said Sullivan.
All proceeds from the game will go to non-profits ALS Golden West Chapter and Coaches Against Cancer.
Leading the South team is retired Christopher coach Darren Yafai, and Sullivan will coach the North. The game features players such as Bay Area News Group player of the year Jaylen Thomas and all-Area honorees Jeaden Underwood, Elias Antillon, Josh Gagni and Noah Taylor.
“I truly believe this game is gaining steam and I am impressed with the rosters this year,” current Los Gatos coach Mark Krail told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday afternoon. “Best we’ve had in many years.”
Only players and coaches from Santa Clara County are eligible to participate.
The South, which won 9-0 last year, leads the series 25-19-4.
Starting in 1974, the game was played every summer until January 2020.
On Wednesday night, the 100 players selected to participate attended a banquet at Bellarmine College Prep. San Francisco 49ers legend Ronnie Lott was a featured speaker at the event.
“There’s nothing like it in this area in which there is a game where you come together against your competitors to play one more time,” Sullivan said. “And for some, it is the last time they will ever put on the helmet and shoulder pads.”
Vita Vea, Davante Adams, Pat Tillman, Jeff Garcia and Jared Allen are a few notable names who have participated in the Wedemeyer game over the years.
The game kicks off at 5 p.m.
“Charlie didn’t give up, and that’s such a beautiful lesson for these kids,” Lucy Wedemeyer, Charlie’s wife, told this news organization before last year’s game.
