Can you lift me out of my chair?" All the honorees will . It's an image his brain can't compute. She says she couldn't look at her son for the first couple of weeks. "It wasn't very polite or sensitive. I saw in front of me a man who loved football and kids. "So I try to stay positive. For now, he's still glowing from the impact his team had on him in his first JV season. Mendez tries to explain, but the kid doesn't get it. For now, he's still glowing from the impact his team had on him in his first JV season. As he was not able to play football, Mendez taught himself the game by playing Madden football video games. 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. How did someone who has never thrown a ball, caught a pass or tackled anyone become a head coach? "It brings out the best in people. So I follow him in the bike lane, hazards on. Make sense?" "But I don't think about this the same way everybody else does. This is roughly the same player-to-coach ratio on a college football roster. 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. It's all good." This one is simple, there's no reason to attend a showcase camp with nationally ranked D1 programs and pro scouts if you play at the D2 level. was something that was very much for me to always stick with and I hope people take away from it in a positive way where they are comfortable to motivate themselves to do whatever they want in life.". But coaches on his staff says he only used that as an opportunity to teach and motivate once again. Most everyone recognizes him and says hello. "I'm pretty good at dealing with pain, and I didn't want to stay home feeling sorry for myself," he says. How could someone who had never held a football teach a freshman how to throw, tackle or block? "Special is bulls---. My dad would tell me, 'You're not special, Rob. Aleksic, Danilo ( Fr.) The last question is far more complicated. He tumbles forward. "They would whisper," 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. ", In the months that follow, Mendez unplugs from football. Those who do survive often end up with significant intellectual disabilities. With the pen, Mendez draws the X's and O's of what the play is supposed to look like and why. The positiveness of your mind can get you to do unbelievable things and feats and that's what he does.". He tumbles forward. 1 poison," he says. "But I don't think about this the same way everybody else does," he says. He doesn't eat right. Alvernaz hired Mendez to be on his staff, but then followed Mendez to Prospect to be his number two. This is one of the worst falls. How to Be a High School Football Coach Download Article parts 1 Gaining the Necessary Skills 2 Landing a Job 3 Becoming a Great Coach Other Sections Related Articles References Co-authored by wikiHow Staff Last Updated: June 10, 2021 References Coaching high school football requires more than passion for the game. I'm in Las Vegas and there's some guy stumbling drunk, looks like he was just in a fight. That's how I feel in my chair," he says. I'm fighting to have something to drink. With the pen, Mendez draws the X's and O's of what the play is supposed to look like and why. This life it just isn't always easy. It happened at the end of his senior prom, when he tipped over the wheelchair ramp as he and his classmates were leaving. He scoffs. It actually came well before Mendez started coaching football. The season has been a greater success than Mendez could have imagined. Also by Wayne Drehs: Grounds for Return. "By the time I was a senior in high school I was wearing a headset with the coaches and listening to them," he said. And few at Prospect High School, some 40 miles up the road in Saratoga, can remember the last time its JV won much of anything. They tell Rob he can't coach for at least four weeks. Because he weighs 50 pounds, alcohol affects him faster than people who weigh much more. I unbuckle the belt around his waist and weave it through the slits torn on the sides of his shirt. ", Mendez struggles to deal with back and neck pain from spending all day in his chair. And buckling Rob into his chair. It isn't the first time Rob has fallen out of his chair. "Just focus -- you got this." He developed a great football mind, but he wanted more. he yells. Lobue, Joseph ( Fr.) Minorities make up 73 percent of the student body. The interview began with Mendez asking Cable for a fist bump on the shoulder. THE DAY AFTER teaching his quarterback the 37 stretch, Mendez sits under the lights at the Prospect 50-yard line, exhausted. Mendez. At that point, she says, abortion wasn't an option. "If I can go out there and power through four or five hours, then I'm OK.", Says McAvoy: "That's just him. "I love you, bro. By Tuesday afternoon, he's back at Prospect for practice, apologizing to his players for Monday's absence. I love it. He talked about building a family. "No, no, no," he says. He insists he's fine, and we order beers. More award-winning storytelling from SC Featured, One dog's remarkable journey to find a home, "Screw that," he says. Mendez hopes to someday have the opportunity to coach varsity. He acknowledges that the attention is often uncomfortable. The lift mechanism on his wheelchair broke on the trip. But he's always there for the kids. I should have a wife by now. And that's special because sometimes in this world, on a day-to-day basis, I wish I could do more. Once buckled, Mendez says he feels unstoppable. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. The other kids are special, too. He has scoliosis, which makes his spine look far more like an "S" than the "I." But those who stayed learned about their new coach. "In a text message." Says McAvoy: "That's just him. "Great job, Coach. "That's how humans are -- they adapt. At that point, she says, abortion wasn't an option. 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. "Said they wanted to move on without me," Mendez says. I should have a wife by now. I love him. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder completed 60.1% of his passes last season for 5,275 . For the last few minutes of our ride, we both keep quiet. "The Super Bowl of JV football," he says. "Let's go!" H.S. "In life, I feel like I'm always being helped," he says. "I'm sorry," he says. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. Only football coach requests will be accepted. The school they will face, Ann Sobrato, fired Mendez as an assistant three years earlier. But it isn't that simple. I panic. I turned around, took two to three steps and then I heard it.". Mendez learned to diagram plays by using a pen in his mouth. Martindale has been the Prospect boys' athletic director since 2005, and has been teaching at the school for 20 years. And Mendez had the title he had achingly sought: head coach. Prospect High School. And swimming. On Rob's first day of kindergarten, they watched nervously behind a glass window as other 4- and 5-year-olds approached their son eager to learn about something most of them couldn't comprehend. ", Born 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. One thing the boy clearly didn't lack: confidence. I'd completely forgotten that Mendez can't feed himself. That night he can't sleep. I suggest we move to a lower table and make things easier. There, he drives his chair into the living room, where his roommate and caretaker, Mike McAvoy, waits on the couch. Those who do survive often end up with significant intellectual disabilities. It doesn't lead to a good place. An assistant coach holds a whiteboard a few inches in front of Mendez. The school they will face, Ann Sobrato, fired Mendez as an assistant three years earlier. Mendez screams. Mendez didn't care. But he wonders whether the players have any idea what they've given him. He knows what he has given his team. What if I drop him? He can be stubborn. How do you move a fully grown adult with no arms and legs? His presence should tell anyone, if you're paying attention, that your mind is the most powerful thing. It has given him a life otherwise inaccessible. I can work with people. I hope that 'who says I can't?' I love you, man," Lopez says. "I think every parent worries about their kids when they leave this earth," Bob says. "I was drinking to forget. . How are you going to get there?" "It's only natural to never give up," Mendez said. Preston Gannaway for ESPN Where do I put my hands? They run the play again. Mt. Embrace it. To feel comfortable. "The one thing that I want people to see is just how hard work pays off," Mendez said. Most days Mendez has chronic neck, back and shoulder pain. "I'm sorry," he says. There's a lot on his mind. A FEW MINUTES after our first beer, a bartender brings Mendez a plate of California rolls. Prospect High School ( PHS) is a public high school in Saratoga, California, United States. They are teachers who coach on the side. "Hey," he says, "Would you mind giving me a hand and putting one of those in my mouth?". "I'm pretty good at dealing with pain, and I didn't want to stay home feeling sorry for myself," he says. 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. One player quit because of Mendez. His parents connected him with Vujicic, who Mendez said told him he could make $25,000 per night as a motivational speaker. "When I first met him, he blew me away with his personality," Prospect Football Varsity Head Coach Mike Cable said. That's not me," Mendez says. Prospect High School JV Football Coach Rob Mendez was born with a rare disorder that left him with no arms or legs. Rob would set his chin on the ledge of the next step and use that to lift his entire body. Cable obliged. Shaving. "I just wanted to coach football.". "It's just me." WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. "We live and die with each other," he says. Mendez rolls over to his dejected quarterback. Is that you?" He can barely open his mouth. He sees me, and he stands up straight and pulls himself together so he can open the door for me. He says if he had arms and legs he has no idea how his life would be different. "Honestly, when I first hired him at Sobrato High School, I knew he was something special. I ask whether that thought bothers him. Ditas Faraon Buhler Science Teacher. 2 QB and overall prospect by ESPN and is . How did someone who has never thrown a ball, caught a pass or tackled anyone become a head coach? Andre Jackson gets instructions from Mendez during the team's first game of the season. Keep your heads up. I'm sorry." For the past six years, Mike McAvoy has been Rob Mendez's caretaker, roommate and friend, each morning helping him with everything from taking a bath and brushing his teeth to getting dressed and eating breakfast. "Home," he answers. He has spent his life fighting statistics, proving doctors and doubters wrong. ", Physically, Mendez is unlike any other high school football coach in the U.S. Mentally and emotionally, he's no different. Now the entire Prospect program circles around Mendez at midfield. 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. Come play a 9-hole scramble at Sunken Gardens in Sunnyvale on July 30th! Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. Mendez struggles to deal with back and neck pain from spending all day in his chair. "How in the world am I supposed to handle that?" When his friends played basketball, Rob was the referee. 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