Charlie Wedemeyer's final touchdown in a Punahou uniform not only decided the outcome of the 1964 Interscholastic League of Honolulu championship, it was one of the most unforgettable scoring plays at the old Honolulu Stadium.

The TD run wasn't long, officially only 14 yards from the line of scrimmage. 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. 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. If it were a game of touch football, he still would have scored.

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. The Warriors had won seven straight, handing Punahou its only regular-season loss in the season opener, before being upset by Roosevelt in the final week to set up the playoff that drew a sellout crowd of 25,038 fans.

Cheering on the sidelines was Lucy Dangler, Wedemeyer's high school sweetheart and now his wife of 42 years. She still remembers the game.

"He was determined to win, especially when he had ended up in Kaiser Hospital after the first time they played," Lucy wrote in a recent e-mail. "Getting a second chance to play them was a gift, thanks to Roosevelt."

Charlie, 63, is still making headlines and is continuing to receive gifts, including the most precious gift of all — life.

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. ALS is a terminal illness in which one is given, at most, three years to live. Charlie can hardly move a muscle; he can only move his lips and give you a wink with his killer eyebrows to convey his thoughts. Still upbeat and full of smiles despite a body betrayed by ALS.

Every day has been a blessing, according to Lucy Wedemeyer, a real estate agent in Los Gatos, Calif., where the Wedemeyers have lived since 1972.

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. They did.

"It's something I never thought Charlie would see," said Lucy when Kale graduated from Los Gatos High with a 3.85 GPA, a glittering number which made Wedemeyer prouder than the 33 touchdowns and back-to-back, 1,000-yard rushing seasons his son put up.

And to witness Charlie's pride when Kale was honored to play in the Hula Bowl 25 years after he did was unbelievable, Lucy added.

Carri runs the Web site for the Charlie Wedemeyer Family Outreach program, which raises money for ALS research, while Kale is a doctor in private practice.

"God is so good. We have been blessed. Our two children are both happily married and live close to each other, and 4.2 minutes from us, but who's counting?" said Lucy. "We are thrilled to be grandparents. I think it is our greatest accomplishment."

Charlie, though, has a bunch of athletic accomplishments to be numbered among the 50 fabulous athletes since statehood. He was an ILH football all-star for three straight years, 1964 ILH player of the year and Hawai'i's Prep Athlete of the Decade.

One of the most versatile athletes locally, Wedemeyer earned nine varsity letters in a brilliant high school career. He was a first-team all-star with teammate Norm Chow when Punahou won the ILH basketball title in 1964, and played second base on the school's 1965 ILH championship baseball team.

Though only 5-foot-7, 164 pounds, Wedemeyer played wide receiver and blocking back at Michigan State and took part in the Spartans' memorable 10-10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966, the first game local fans saw televised live from the Mainland. Interestingly, the 1964 Punahou-Kamehameha playoff game was also televised live throughout the state.

Wedemeyer played in the East-West Shrine Game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, and then came back home to play in the 1969 Hula Bowl. He played two years of semi-pro football for the Lansing (Mich.) All-Stars.

Charlie's greatest accomplishment, though, came as football coach at Los Gatos High School, winning seven league championships and posting a 78-18-1 record — after he was afflicted with ALS. 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.

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.

"In a sense," he told them, "I also have a life sentence."

Still blessed with a funny wit, Charlie thought God must have a sense of humor as well for making someone who can't speak be His spokesman.

He has met astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, a fellow ALS survivor, and was named the Disabled American of the Year in 1992. The inspirational saga of Charlie and Lucy has been well chronicled in a PBS documentary, "One More Season," a CBS movie, "Quiet Victory — The Charlie Wedemeyer Story" and a book they wrote, "Charlie's Victory."

He's not finished. He's working on another documentary, although the past year has been more difficult for him, according to Lucy.

"We've had a bit of a bumpy ride since Charlie had kidney failure more than a year ago," she said.

He has been hospitalized since March, undergoing three surgeries. Doctors were surprised how well he has healed, according to Lucy.

He's expected to be released this week, in time to attend a coaches' all-star dinner Friday and the 35th Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Game next Wednesday at Spartan Stadium in San Jose.

"We plan to be there," said Lucy.