Herman Wedemeyer
| Date of birth: | May 20, 1924 |
| Place of birth: | Hilo, Hawaii |
| Date of death: | January 25, 1999 (aged 74) |
| Place of death: | Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Halfback |
| College: | St. Mary's College |
| NFL Draft: | 1947 / Round: 1 / Pick 9 (By the Los Angeles Rams) |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1948 1949 |
Los Angeles Dons (AAFC) Baltimore Colts (AAFC) |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Herman John Wedemeyer (May 20, 1924; Hilo, Hawaii – January 25, 1999; Honolulu, Hawaii) was an American actor, football player, and politician.[1] He is best known for portraying 'Sergeant/Detective "Duke" Lukela' on the crime drama Hawaii Five-O (1972–1980).
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[edit] Sports hero
Wedemeyer, attended St. Louis School in Honolulu and was a standout in both football and baseball.[2] Wedemeyer, a halfback, played college football for the St. Mary's College Galloping Gaels in Moraga, CA. In 1945, he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy[3] voting, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Wedemeyer was Hawai'i's first consensus All-American football player. He bore the colorful nicknames 'Squirmin' Herman,' 'The Flyin' Hawaiian,' 'The Hawaiian Centipede,' and 'The Hula-Hipped Hawaiian.'
Wedemeyer was a first-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference[4] in 1948. Despite leading the AAFC in punt return yardage that year, he was waived by the Dons. He was then signed by the AAFC Baltimore Colts,[5] with whom he played in 1949 before retiring from professional sports for good.
Herman was the brother of Charlie Wedemeyer, a former Michigan State football player who gained fame when, as a football coach at Los Gatos High School, he contracted Lou Gehrig's Disease and continued to coach for many years, despite his handicap. He is the subject of a television movie called Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story.
[edit] Government service
In 1968, Wedemeyer was elected to the Honolulu City Council as a Republican.[1] In 1970, he was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Democrat, winning re-election in 1972.
[edit] Hawaii Five-O
Wedemeyer played Edward D. "Duke" Lekela[6] on Hawaii Five-O from 1971 to 1980, appearing in 143 episodes.
[edit] Filmography
- The Hawaiians 1970
- Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
- Magnum, P.I. 1981
- Hawaii Five-O (1997)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Matsuoka, Brandon (26 January 1999). "Duke Wedemeyer Passes Away". Honolulu Advertiser. http://www.mjq.net/fiveo/duke.htm.
- ^ Suehiro, Arthur (2008). "Football Fever". Honolulu Stadium: Where Hawaii Played. Watermark Publishing. ISBN 978-0977914371. http://www.wedey.usanethosting.com/stadi1.htm.
- ^ "Aloha to Squirmin' Herman, The Hula Hipped Hawaiian". Barracuda Magazine (Barracuda Magazine). http://www.barracudamagazine.com/wedey.htm.
- ^ Franks, Joel S (2008). Asian Pacific Americans and Baseball: A History. McFarland. p. 84. ISBN 978-0786432912.
- ^ "Wedemeyer". Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7510800. Retrieved 24 May 2010. Find A Grave
- ^ Rhodes, Karen (1997). Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series. McFarland & Company. p. 110. ISBN 978-0786401710.
[edit] External links
- Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame Profile
- Herman Wedemeyer at the Internet Movie Database
- Herman Wedemeyer Fan Home Page
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- 1924 births
- 1999 deaths
- All-American college football players
- People from Honolulu, Hawaii
- American football running backs
- Los Angeles Dons players
- Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players
- College Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Actors from Hawaii
- Members of the Hawaii House of Representatives
- Hawaiian players of American football
- People of Native Hawaiian descent
