Lou Gehrig's disease has taken away Charlie Wedemeyer's ability to move, speak, swallow and breathe.

But it hasn't robbed him of his football instincts.

And so, despite a doctor's prognosis 25 years ago that he had only two or three years to live, Wedemeyer has remained a fixture on the South Bay football scene while living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Wedemeyer continues to be a member of the frosh/soph coaching staff at Los Gatos High. He shows up for every game and every practice.

And, as always, he will be there to greet each player as they take the field tonight for the Santa Clara County all-star football game that was named after him in 1989.

``It is probably the last time for so many of these players to play in a football game,'' said Wedemeyer, 56, who communicates by blinking his eyes and slightly moving his lips while his wife, Lucy, translates. ``It's a time they will never forget.''

The all-star game, now in its 28th year, features more than 80 players from Santa Clara County. Proceeds benefit the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach, which provides help for ALS patients and their families.

``It's definitely a big deal for me,'' said Stanford-bound quarterback Trent Edwards, who played under Wedemeyer his freshman year at Los Gatos. ``It's nice because he was my first football coach. In a sense, it's a way to give back to him.''

Given 3 years to live

Wedemeyer was diagnosed with the disease in 1977, the same year he became Los Gatos' varsity football coach and was given no more than 36 months to live. In 1985, his final season as varsity coach, Wedemeyer led his team to a Central Coast Section championship while coaching from a golf cart. He weighed less than 100 pounds but was determined to continue coaching. His fight became the script for a 1988 made-for-TV movie and 1993 documentary.

Three years later he was back teaching football as an assistant coach on the frosh/soph level.

``He amazes me every day, how he does not give up,'' Lucy Wedemeyer said. ``He focuses on the task at hand and doesn't worry about all the things it takes to get there. He's now learned to enjoy the journey.''

Wedemeyer has maintained his passion for football while spending almost half his life living with a disease that attacks the nerve cells that control the body. He is permanently hooked up to a ventilator and hasn't breathed on his own since 1985.

While some ALS patients die within one to two years, Cathy Lomen-Hoerth, an assistant professor of neurology at UCSF, said it is not uncommon for people to live several years on a ventilator.

``There are some people that have a very long life span,'' Lomen-Hoerth said. ``But it's tremendously variable. A lot depends on the situation at home, with people to take care of them. You need a strong family support.''

Wedemeyer certainly has that. He has continued serving as an assistant coach thanks in large part to Lucy and their adult children, Kale and Carri. Craig Williams, one of Wedemeyer's former players and a current Los Gatos assistant coach, also helps care for him and often picks him up for practice. Williams has also learned to read Wedemeyer's eyes and lips.

Tight network invaluable

Lucy Wedemeyer said the support of family and the community have helped her husband enjoy life. That, along with a strong faith and sense of humor, have helped him beat the odds for 25 years.

``So many people with this illness just want to hide, because it's embarrassing,'' Lucy Wedemeyer said. ``Because you can't function what people would call in a normal role, and yet he has over the years.''

Wedemeyer preferred to talk about the players and the game -- not himself -- as he sat and watched the North practice last week.

``It's special because they pick the best players from CCS who will be playing and competing against each other,'' Wedemeyer said.

As Wedemeyer watched the North work on offense, he intently looked for the little details. The disease had attacked everything but his mind. While he watched Edwards deliver one perfectly thrown pass after another, he told Williams that ``Trent looks good today.''

Edwards recalls how, as a freshman, it took a little while for him and his teammates to get used to their wheelchair-bound coach.

``Once you get adjusted, he's the best coach there is,'' Edwards said. ``He enjoys the game of football so much. He's so passionate about it and driven to succeed. It's unbelievable how he can continue to go.''

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