James Hamann Assistant Coach: Paul Hennig Mascot(s): Knight School Administration Superintendent: Dr. David Schuler . Mendez. "As he approached, I didn't know how he could be a football coach. Without his wheelchair working properly, he can't raise its height to sit next to me at the bar. "Screw that," he says. For Rob, the message from his father was simple: Embrace your differences. "I'm sorry," he says. And he calls the exact same play he did on the previous down, flipping it to the other side of the field: Rex nine left, 180 smash. I love that. His comes with a straw. It happened at the end of his senior prom, when he tipped over the wheelchair ramp as he and his classmates were leaving. "Said they wanted to move on without me," Mendez says. There is nothing to break his fall. His comes with a straw. Combing hair. Preston Gannaway for ESPN. Mendez is hungry. It has given him a life otherwise inaccessible. He towed his friends around the neighborhood on their skateboards. MENDEZ'S WHEELCHAIR NEVER sits still, but the way it pinballs back and forth between the hashmarks on the Prospect practice field says the coach is not happy. Key California high school football games, computer rankings, statewide stat leaders, schedules and scores - live and final. He's had people who hear his story and then approach him in tears. Mendez is hungry. It's just me. His team is a mix of freshmen and sophomores, some with a bit of experience, most with little to none. In fact, he will be honored at the 2019 ESPY Awards as the Jimmy V perseverance Award recipient and was on the cover of ESPN Magazine's heroes edition. It doesn't lead to a good place. "I've been getting messages on Twitter . "About damn time," McAvoy says with a grin. The lift mechanism on his wheelchair broke on the trip. 50/50 raffle will be available as well as over 20 beers on tap . ", Mendez makes a trip to a nearby shopping center for coffee. A few days before Rob was born, doctors walked his father, Robert Mendez Sr., through the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. When coaches ask you to go on an official visit, paid for by the school's program, they're using their budget to show off their school and create an impressive experience for you as a recruit. "And the muscles in your neck are not supposed to be used that often. In his chair, he is constantly shifting, twisting and adjusting his posture. Rob would set his chin on the ledge of the next step and use that to lift his entire body. He learned to press the buttons with his chin and collarbone. Nobody but yourself can hold yourself back. And Lewis Hamilton living the hell out of life. Things like that happen all the time. I love you, man," Lopez says. He demanded respect, eye contact and accountability. But on this late July night, 30-year-old high school football coach Rob Mendez has a taste for sushi. He says they need him, but you know what? Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. Mendez hopes to someday have the opportunity to coach varsity. Prospect's lone highlight came on defense when, just before halftime, the Panthers stonewalled Sobrato on four straight plays from the goal line to keep the game scoreless. has become a motto for the Prospect Football teams and, of course, for Mendez. Eighteen players from each playoff class were named to the team. Keep your heads up. He has lived his entire life without arms and legs. He tumbles forward. H.S. It's almost midnight. More SC Featured Preston Gannaway for ESPN. Shaving. Going to the bathroom. "You have to believe," he says. Martindale has been the Prospect boys' athletic director since 2005, and has been teaching at the school for 20 years. For now, I start with a topic far simpler: football. Please check your email for a confirmation. I just want to prove them wrong." "I'm so proud of you. And now for Odell Beckham Jr's next act As he was not able to play football, Mendez taught himself the game by playing Madden football video games. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder completed 60.1% of his passes last season for 5,275 . "I'm sitting right there at the bar next to you. I love that. Eventually, he became the head coach of. Nor did he and Josie have any idea how to take care of this baby. We'll get to that. Mendez gains happiness and joy through helping others and that will be his message when he takes the podium for his acceptance speech. Three blocks in, a blue pickup driving in the other direction recognizes the wheelchair. I know I'm good for the kids. So I follow him in the bike lane, hazards on. The next day he spends almost entirely in bed, unable to open his eyes. I tell him that's the most honest he's been in our time together. We're the ones who feel sorry for them and say, 'Oh you poor thing.' There is nothing to break his fall. "But we really have to sell that we are going that way. One player quit because of Mendez. It gives me hope for the world. It feels as if everyone is staring. Make sense?" They just want to move, explore and live. Mendez calls his last timeout. Along the way, Cable invited Mendez's two best players to move to varsity. "We live and die." ", Mendez struggles to deal with back and neck pain from spending all day in his chair. The left side of his face slams into the concrete floor of the garage. "We are two very different people. Dear Coach Doe; My name is Joe Blow and I am asking you to consider me as a future prospect for the University Notre Dame football team. "The Sobrato loss still bothers me," he says in February. "Great job, Coach. "I think it always will." We are all special. For now, I start with a topic far simpler: football. I assume Mendez will pilot his wheelchair on the sidewalk and I'll drive alongside for the five dimly lit blocks back to his house. The football team won the 7A State Championship in 2001, 2002, and 2005. . Blood runs everywhere. And that includes getting on the officials when something doesn't go his way. He towed his friends around the neighborhood on their skateboards. "Special is bulls---. I think he needs them just as much. It wasn't like there was a store to buy clothes or toys for children with no arms and legs. "You know how it is.". Prospect stifled Evanston on two late fourth quarter drives, and senior Gavin Flanagan booted the game-winning field goal as Prospect survived with a 17-14 Homecoming win to improve to 3-0 on. "It was just it was horrible," Bob says. Every morning, he helps with just about everything. I'm not beautiful at all. I think he needs them just as much." Contents 1 Academics 2 Athletics 3 Campus 4 Other 5 Notable alumni 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Academics [ edit] Prospect offers a mix of advanced and on-level classes. He's meeting me at the bar. It just makes me mad.". Prepped for head coach Victor Winters at Gadsden County High School in Havana, Flarated a three-star prospecta first-team all-state and a first-team All-Big Bend selection for the Jaguars after grading out over 90 percentinvited to participate in the NUC All-American Game in 2022had interest from several programs, including Florida Atlantic, Maryland, South Florida, Wake Forest . When we pull into the driveway, McAvoy comes out and carries Mendez into the house. It's just me. Being personally invited for a visit indicates clear interest from a coach. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated currently ranks Manning as the No. It's an accomplishment to the public because I have no arms and legs, but the reality is I'm not accomplished. And his roommate is resting back at home, exhausted from a pair of Vegas nights. "You know how it is." I definitely want to be a varsity head coach, if not, advanced in the college career or the NFL. "This is a defining moment for our program," Vierneisel said. I swear I buckled him in. By Tuesday afternoon, he's back at Prospect for practice, apologizing to his players for Monday's absence. Still does. IN HIS 30 years, Mendez can't recall a single dream in which he has had arms or legs. "It's 37 stretch, right? 2. ONE WEEK LATER, Prospect finishes its season 8-2 with a 19-13 victory over Yerba Buena. When his friends went out for football his freshman year of high school, Rob became the team manager. And 26 percent of the school's students are economically disadvantaged. He says he would consider prosthetics only if he ever became a father. On convenience alone, it would have been the perfect place for him to coach forever. Complaining is my No. The school sits on the western edge of Silicon Valley, just 5 miles from Apple's campus. "It brings out the best in people. I might take two steps forward and then one step back. The biography of Nick Vujicic, a 36-year-old motivational speaker from Australia who also has tetra-amelia, says there are just seven known people living in the world today with the syndrome. But Mendez doesn't care about that. We end up talking for nearly three hours. Mendez orders a water. Now comes the opportunity to prove the school made a mistake. What do you want people to say about this team? Rob has fractured cheek and orbital bones and has the effects of a concussion. It's society that imposes that grief. "I think every parent worries about their kids when they leave this earth," Bob says. But Rob refuses because the upper belt limits his ability to access his phone and draw plays. It isn't the first time Rob has fallen out of his chair. After his speech, Mendez asks for a ride home. The more we talk that night the more one word keeps popping up: How. And because of Rob's lack of limbs, his father says he retains 30 percent more heat than someone who has arms and legs. Watch the 2019 ESPYS Awards only on ABC7 on July 10, 2019 at 5 p.m. PST. This ensures that the coaches can spend quality time with all players attending and are not overwhelmed with large camp numbers. ", But those experiences come at great cost. He turns his face to the right, pulls his head back and prays. "I'm not the perfect guy. I agree it's a small percentage. And he calls the exact same play he did on the previous down, flipping it to the other side of the field: Rex nine left, 180 smash. IT WASN'T UNTIL an ultrasound in the eighth month of her pregnancy that Rob's mother, Josie, found out her son was not growing limbs. We make it to his home. It gives me this sense of independence., Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. "I just wanted to coach football." It's an image his brain can't compute. He scoffs. He briefly leaves Rob in the garage to run inside. I just want to prove them wrong. It isn't about what the players did right or wrong or what they need to clean up before the next game. How does he eat? But I learned that I can be a leader. "His mind is the greatest thing," Prospect JV Assistant Defensive Coordinator Todd Livingston said. Mendez acknowledges that his presence has had a positive impact on people. he says. His resiliency inspired others around him and made it an asset to have him on the staff. Football coach without arms or legs inspires teamBorn without arms or legs, Rob Mendez was never able to play football, but that didn't stop him from pursuing his passion for the game as a coach.ESPN He is mobile thanks to the chair he controls with his head and neck. In the morning, he will coach the biggest game of his young career. ", Mendez hopes to someday have the opportunity to coach varsity. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. 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