Herman John Wedemeyer (May 20, 1924 – January 25, 1999) was an American actor, football player, and politician.[2] He is best known for portraying Sergeant/Detective "Duke" Lukela on the crime drama Hawaii Five-O (1972–1980). He also appeared on the first episode of Hawaii Five-O as Lt. Balta of Honolulu Police Department.
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".[citation needed]
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, with whom he played in 1949 before retiring from professional sports for good.[citation needed]
Government serviceedit
In 1968, Wedemeyer was elected to the Honolulu City Council as a Republican.[2] In 1970, he was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Democrat, winning re-election in 1972. He served as the chairman of the Committee on Tourism.
Hawaii Five-Oedit
Wedemeyer played Edward D. "Duke" Lukela[6] on Hawaii Five-O from 1971 to 1980, appearing in 143 episodes. Lukela was originally a uniformed HPD sergeant, but he later joined the Five-O squad as a detective.[citation needed]
Personal lifeedit
Herman Wedermeyer was the most famous football player in all of Hawaii - in the 4th quarter of a game in the stadium in Honolulu. On the kickoff, he was in the end zone and caught the ball. He bent over and put the football on top of his shoe and the opposing team thought he had downed the ball, but the referee saw he didn't. Thus, Wedermeyer put the ball under his arm and jogged 100 yards into the opposing end zone without anyone touching him. The referee declared a touchdown which won the game. Wedermeyer's brother was Charlie Wedemeyer, a former Michigan State football player who, after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, continued to teach and coach football at Los Gatos High School. Charlie was the subject of a television drama called Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story and the PBS documentary "One More Season".
Hawaii Five-O (1998 TV pilot) (1998) - Duke (final film role)
Referencesedit
^. databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ abMatsuoka, Brandon (26 January 1999). . Honolulu Advertiser. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
^Suehiro, Arthur (2008). "Football Fever". Honolulu Stadium: Where Hawaii Played. Watermark Publishing. ISBN978-0-9779143-7-1.
^"Aloha to Squirmin' Herman, The Hula Hipped Hawaiian". Barracuda Magazine.
^Franks, Joel S (2008). Asian Pacific Americans and Baseball: A History. McFarland. p. 84. ISBN978-0-7864-3291-2.
^Rhodes, Karen (1997). Booking Hawaii Five-O : An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968-1980 Television Detective Series. McFarland & Company. p. 110. ISBN978-0-7864-0171-0.
herman, wedemeyer, herman, john, wedemeyer, 1924, january, 1999, american, actor, football, player, politician, best, known, portraying, sergeant, detective, duke, lukela, crime, drama, hawaii, five, 1972, 1980, also, appeared, first, episode, hawaii, five, ba. Herman John Wedemeyer May 20 1924 January 25 1999 was an American actor football player and politician 2 He is best known for portraying Sergeant Detective Duke Lukela on the crime drama Hawaii Five O 1972 1980 He also appeared on the first episode of Hawaii Five O as Lt Balta of Honolulu Police Department Herman WedemeyerNo 99 87Wedemeyer circa 1945Born May 20 1924Hilo Hawaii U S Died January 25 1999 1999 01 25 aged 74 Honolulu Hawaii U S Career informationPosition s HalfbackHeight5 ft 10 in 178 cm Weight178 lb 81 kg CollegeSt Mary s CollegeNFL draft1947 Round 1 Pick 9Drafted byLos Angeles Rams 1 Career historyAs player1948Los Angeles Dons AAFC 1949Baltimore Colts AAFC Career highlights and awardsConsensus All American 1945 Second team All American 1946 3 First team All PCC 1943 1945 1946 Second team All PCC 1947 College Football Hall of Fame Contents 1 Sports career 2 Government service 3 Hawaii Five O 4 Personal life 5 Filmography 6 References 7 External linksSports career editWedemeyer attended St Louis School in Honolulu and was a standout in both football and baseball 3 Wedemeyer a halfback played college football for the St Mary s College Galloping Gaels in Moraga California In 1945 he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy 4 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 citation needed Wedemeyer was a first round draft choice of the Los Angeles Dons of the All America Football Conference 5 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 with whom he played in 1949 before retiring from professional sports for good citation needed Government service editIn 1968 Wedemeyer was elected to the Honolulu City Council as a Republican 2 In 1970 he was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives as a Democrat winning re election in 1972 He served as the chairman of the Committee on Tourism Hawaii Five O editWedemeyer played Edward D Duke Lukela 6 on Hawaii Five O from 1971 to 1980 appearing in 143 episodes Lukela was originally a uniformed HPD sergeant but he later joined the Five O squad as a detective citation needed Personal life editHerman Wedermeyer was the most famous football player in all of Hawaii in the 4th quarter of a game in the stadium in Honolulu On the kickoff he was in the end zone and caught the ball He bent over and put the football on top of his shoe and the opposing team thought he had downed the ball but the referee saw he didn t Thus Wedermeyer put the ball under his arm and jogged 100 yards into the opposing end zone without anyone touching him The referee declared a touchdown which won the game Wedermeyer s brother was Charlie Wedemeyer a former Michigan State football player who after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig s disease continued to teach and coach football at Los Gatos High School Charlie was the subject of a television drama called Quiet Victory The Charlie Wedemeyer Story and the PBS documentary One More Season Filmography editHawaii Five O 1968 1980 Det Duke Lukela The Hawaiians 1970 Fire Chief uncredited Magnum P I 1981 Coroner Hawaii Five O 1998 TV pilot 1998 Duke final film role References edit 1947 Los Angeles Rams databaseFootball com Archived from the original on January 4 2010 Retrieved July 17 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint unfit URL link a b Matsuoka Brandon 26 January 1999 Duke Wedemeyer Passes Away Honolulu Advertiser Archived from the original on 16 July 2011 Retrieved 24 May 2010 Suehiro Arthur 2008 Football Fever Honolulu Stadium Where Hawaii Played Watermark Publishing ISBN 978 0 9779143 7 1 Aloha to Squirmin Herman The Hula Hipped Hawaiian Barracuda Magazine Franks Joel S 2008 Asian Pacific Americans and Baseball A History McFarland p 84 ISBN 978 0 7864 3291 2 Rhodes Karen 1997 Booking Hawaii Five O An Episode Guide and Critical History of the 1968 1980 Television Detective Series McFarland amp Company p 110 ISBN 978 0 7864 0171 0 External links editHawaii Sports Hall of Fame Profile Herman Wedemeyer at IMDb Herman Wedemeyer Fan Home Page Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Herman Wedemeyer amp oldid 1222962328, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
