Unlike fighting or fantasy games where he constantly had to engage, football gave him breaks. How could someone who had never held a football teach a freshman how to throw, tackle or block? Encouraged the group to play for their teammates. I'm not beautiful at all. I don't focus on it." LESS THAN TWO weeks before his son's first game as a head coach, Bob Mendez prepares to drive Rob home after Sunday family dinner. IT'S THE BIGGEST weekend of the year in Gilroy, California, with more than 100,000 people visiting for the annual garlic festival. he says. And comfortable does not win," Georgia football coach Kirby Smart on trying to win a third straight national championship. At the end of every day, I'm sore.". The more successful Mendez is at proving he's just like everyone else, the more people put him on that pedestal, peg him as an inspiration and treat him, well, different from everyone else. But seven? "I'm pretty good at dealing with pain, and I didn't want to stay home feeling sorry for myself," he says. Not until he nearly received a DUI driving Rob's handicapped accessible van did he realize the path he was on. The season begins in a month. Luis Lopez, the JV coach who worked with Mendez at the school, hugs Mendez. That night he can't sleep. He talked about building a family. The Illinois High School Football Coaches' Association announced their list of all-state players Wednesday. Blood runs everywhere. Rob is no different.". Mendez looks up as the quarterback's pass sails overhead. They have to buy the fake. Now, he inspires others to be strong and never give up despite adversity. "It sounds so ridiculous, but it's true," he says. By Tuesday afternoon, he's back at Prospect for practice, apologizing to his players for Monday's absence. "Yes, Coach," the quarterback says. "Rob? But he wonders whether the players have any idea what they've given him. "But I don't think about this the same way everybody else does. Mendez calls his last timeout. As we head back to Gilroy, I ask Mendez if he's aware of the impact he has already had on Prospect players and coaches like assistant Todd Livingston. As the clock approaches 11 p.m., he looks at his empty glass and asks for another drink. She says she couldn't look at her son for the first couple of weeks. "It wasn't very polite or sensitive. Clay, Brock Powell, Bryant ( Fr.) ", "You don't need to apologize," Mendez says. How do you move a fully grown adult with no arms and legs? on demand Sep 30, 2022 2:45 PM PDT. But this time, he has no idea the belt around his waist isn't buckled. He tells his offense he believes in them. "It's 37 stretch, right? Coach Mendez. So I try not to complain. But he's always there for the kids. I'm fighting to have something to drink. "That's what I'm talking about! And there's the reality of what he feels, but rarely reveals. He tumbles forward. Class 8A Sean Allison,. I'm sorry." A few minutes later, he asks if I can follow him home. Next year you'll be back in it, believe me. A handful of schools reach out about head-coaching jobs, but he says he's almost certain he will return to Prospect to lead its JV squad again next season. "Like a pancake hitting the ground. As they head inside, Mendez looks back at me over McAvoy's shoulder. "I'm not afraid to be myself," he tells me later. He says if he had arms and legs he has no idea how his life would be different. He's like Norm from "Cheers." A few days before Rob was born, doctors walked his father, Robert Mendez Sr., through the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. What the hell does that even mean? he says. "Screw that," he says. He acknowledges that the attention is often uncomfortable. Getting dressed. Initially, Josie struggled. But it isn't that simple. He can barely open his mouth. He started as a manager on his Gilroy High School team as a freshman. He turns his face to the right, pulls his head back and prays. The pain of the loss hurt, but it did not stop his fire. Brushing teeth. ", Mendez leans forward in his chair. We're going to fake it this way and then waggle out," he says. "I kept thinking, 'How can this guy possibly coach?'" The World Series is on television. "I'm not the perfect guy. Things like that happen all the time. "Those kids," he says, "gave me the feeling that I can do anything." Aleksic, Danilo ( Fr.) His head drops. "No, no, no," he says. Mendez was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare congenital disorder that prevents the formation of limbs during embryonic development. It confirmed how much he despises losing. 1 poison," he says. "That's how humans are -- they adapt. Later, she would cover Rob in blankets when they went in public. "I like the way I am, really," he says. So I try to stay positive. How does he eat? A 10-story building hitting the ground. "They don't have the grief of losing a limb because they never had it. "I wish more people were like that. The next generation of basketball legends will rock uniforms by New York City-based streetwear designer Eric Emanuel. "There you go!" When Mendez first took over the coaching job, many kids on the team were surprised to see a man with his condition coaching them. He says he would consider prosthetics only if he ever became a father. The team jogs over and surrounds him. Email Mark Fisher. When the players met their new coach, the whispers began. Head Coach: Dan DeBoeuf Assistant Coach: Tim Beishir, Jeff Collier, Matt Weber, Jim Argentine, Dan Keller Brock Collins, Sean Cummins Matt Weber Jeff Collier Jim Argentine Michael Watson Dominic Cannon Mike Naboltny Tom Whalen Erik Hammerstrom Dan Yeoman Shaun Cummins Dan Keller School Administration Principal: Greg Minter Athletic Director: Omar Alebiosu Athletic Secretary: Amy Nickel School Color: Columbia and Navy Nick Name: Knights "I'm not going to lie. 42-13 (L) Prospect @ Independence On 9/16, the Prospect varsity football team lost their away non-conference game against Independence (San Jose, CA) by a score of 42-13 . High School coach ticket pickup closes TWENTY minutes prior to kickoff. His older sister, Jackie, pushed her brother to try new things and one day tucked a PlayStation controller under his chin. Elk Grove High School. ( Google map, other maps) Mt. His presence should tell anyone, if you're paying attention, that your mind is the most powerful thing. I just want to prove them wrong. "You know how Ironman gets in his suit and he just starts flying everywhere? and Head Coaches) Prospect High School 801 W. Kensington Rd. 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. If Rob sensed someone staring, he'd roll up and introduce himself. "By the time I was a senior in high school I was wearing a headset with the coaches and listening to them," he said. Congratulations to @ProspectXCTF Coach Pete Wintermute on his @ITCCCA XC Coach of the Year and the Track Coach of the Year!!! His friends stuffed pillows in his shirt and attached a board to the front of his chair so he could play goalie in street hockey tournaments. Mendez screams. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/02/rob-mendez-football-coach, Why hiring Sean Payton will require NFL teams to make an expensive trade with the Saints, Win or lose, the Bengals can prove Joe Mixon's 'big dog of the AFC' claim right against Buffalo, Trevor Lawrence revealed his Waffle House order after the Jaguars wild comeback win over Chargers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But most importantly, it's given him an understanding of his journey in this world, a path untethered to anything anyone on the outside might say, think or believe. "Anything in the world that is worth doing, he's done it with his mind," Bob says. As the quarterback rolls out, the play unfolds perfectly. "I don't think I could do that to those kids," he says. Mendez tries to explain, but the kid doesn't get it. Instead, Mendez repeats two words over and over and over: thank you. Later, she would cover Rob in blankets when they went in public. He tells his offense he believes in them. "We live and die with each other," he says. Physically, Mendez is unlike any other high school football coach in the U.S. Mentally and emotionally, he's no different. That's how I feel in my chair," he says. In his chair, he is constantly shifting, twisting and adjusting his posture. "I use my neck like my arm," Mendez says. The season has been a greater success than Mendez could have imagined. "There was one word my dad never liked -- special," Mendez says. On this day, one of his freshman quarterbacks struggles to grasp the footwork on the 37 stretch. I panic. Doctors recommend surgery. Three blocks in, a blue pickup driving in the other direction recognizes the wheelchair. But Mendez doesn't care about that. And his roommate is resting back at home, exhausted from a pair of Vegas nights. Georgia Tech Football allows high school football coaches to request two (2) complimentary tickets to attend regular season home football games. Mendez gets a fist-to-shoulder bump from every Sobrato player. Mendez calls his last timeout. Mt. DeBoeuf could not be more honored to be chosen to replace Martindale. ONE WEEK LATER, Prospect finishes its season 8-2 with a 19-13 victory over Yerba Buena. I just want to prove them wrong." To request tickets, you must be an active football coach at the high school level and present either an active coaching member number/card or letter on school letterhead. is an original statement for myself to always be determined and stay hungry in life," Mendez said. Rob's parents tried to integrate him as early as they could, putting him in preschool at 18 months. He learned to press the buttons with his chin and collarbone. This is the opportunity he has waited 12 years for, the one he long felt he deserved but worried would never come. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . But on this late July night, 30-year-old high school football coach Rob Mendez has a taste for sushi. Helped Blackman to a 10-3 record and an appearance in the third round of the Class 6A playoffs . Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. The World Series is on television. "It's only natural to never give up," Mendez said. I love him. They sit in front of us, untouched, for nearly 10 minutes. 1 poison. He has lived his entire life without arms and legs. We end up talking for nearly three hours. He doesn't listen to the doctors like he should. It's all good.". 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. Full-time coaches may work more than 40 hours a week for several months during the sports season. I turned around, took two to three steps and then I heard it." "As he approached, I didn't know how he could be a football coach. This also ensures that prospects will have time to interact with the coaches and learn from them in a small group and one-on-one setting. Mendez operates his cellphone, attached to a stand on his wheelchair, with his nose and lips. 'Who says I can't?' A few minutes later, he asks if I can follow him home. "The Sobrato loss still bothers me," he says in February. 2021 IHSA Football Playoffs. Afterward, Bob says doctors and nurses would walk by and stare. The school they will face, Ann Sobrato, fired Mendez as an assistant three years earlier. Email Ditas Faraon Buhler. "Special is bulls---. But at 24, I didn't really know what to do or say at the time.". Alvernaz hired Mendez to be on his staff, but then followed Mendez to Prospect to be his number two. The green mile marker signs fly past on Highway 101. The school sits on the western edge of Silicon Valley, just 5 miles from Apple's campus. Taking a bath. "But we really have to sell that we are going that way. Prospect, IL 60056 Phone: 847-718-5200 Fax: 847-718-5224 School Web Site: phs.d214.org Enrollment: 2107 Conference (s): Mid-Suburban League Nickname (s): Knights (boys), Knights (girls) Colors: Navy Blue/Columbia Blue School Type: Public Coed County: Cook Preston Gannaway for ESPN. Prospect Reels produces high quality sports highlight videos so you can market your athletic skills to college coaches, recruiters, and others who can help you get recruited. And anyone who has a problem with that, prove them wrong.'". He put the name into Google. He has lived his entire life without arms and legs. Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. Those who do survive often end up with significant intellectual disabilities. Is that you?" 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. With the help of adaptive technology, he went skiing. Brushing teeth. And he doesn't like the idea I have for framing his story. "Let's go!" Last April, the varsity coach at Prospect was looking for someone to help change the culture of the Prospect program when he came across Mendez's rsum. But he's always there for the kids. I don't want to be put on a pedestal. Helped North Kansas City to a . That's what I've realized over the years.". Prospect High School Football team golf tournament and smoked BBQ fundraiser! And different is not bad. I'd completely forgotten that Mendez can't feed himself. The more we talk that night the more one word keeps popping up: How. He scoffs. "And you're risking it all by not wearing an upper belt." Buddin is from Belleville, Michigan and was regarded as the 11th best player from the state during his senior year. Good s--- you've done with those kids. "Get over here!" After a few minutes of conversation, Cable believed he had his man. That man was Mike Cable. 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