It just makes me mad." Wilky DenaudDefensive Line - High School: Four-star prospect along the defensive line who as a senior helped the John Carroll Rams and Coach Mickey Groody to a "Complaining is my No. "I appreciate you," Mendez says. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. This ensures that the coaches can spend quality time with all players attending and are not overwhelmed with large camp numbers. Shaving. He insists he's fine, and we order beers. Mendez leans forward in his chair. Preston Gannaway for ESPN "I'm not the perfect guy. So I try not to complain. 1 poison," he says. It's a testament to his ability to be comfortable in any surrounding and put strangers at ease. "But I don't think about this the same way everybody else does. Some might suggest he should be home, resting. And he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. In the months that follow, Mendez unplugs from football. You May Also Be Interested In "I use my neck like my arm," Mendez says. A 10-story building hitting the ground. As the clock approaches 11 p.m., he looks at his empty glass and asks for another drink. But coaches on his staff says he only used that as an opportunity to teach and motivate once again. Andre Jackson gets instructions from Mendez during the team's first game of the season. 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.". I'm proud of everyone. I'd completely forgotten that Mendez can't feed himself. "Yes, Coach," the quarterback says. "He's an inspiration to all of us," Alvernaz, said. It feels as if everyone is staring. You hear stories about people with cancer, fighting for their lives. 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. He needs to use the bathroom. He rolls in wearing a plain white T-shirt and faded red San Francisco 49ers hat. All Rights Reserved. the driver asks. Aleksic, Danilo ( Fr.) Where do I put my hands? He has heard it from their parents and teachers. Holding court, triggering laughs and helping people realize for a few minutes that a man in a wheelchair without arms and legs is just like anyone else. "I think it always will." She says she couldn't look at her son for the first couple of weeks. And that includes getting on the officials when something doesn't go his way. He's like Norm from "Cheers." Still does. Pick a play, execute for a few seconds, take a break, pick another play and repeat. 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. It's the Friday night before Halloween. We are all special. Alvernaz hired Mendez to be on his staff, but then followed Mendez to Prospect to be his number two. THE DAY AFTER teaching his quarterback the 37 stretch, Mendez sits under the lights at the Prospect 50-yard line, exhausted. Nor did he and Josie have any idea how to take care of this baby. But it isn't that simple. I'm lazy. And Mendez had the title he had achingly sought: head coach. I know I'm good for the kids. How could someone who had never held a football teach a freshman how to throw, tackle or block? I'm in Las Vegas and there's some guy stumbling drunk, looks like he was just in a fight. The day is designed by college coaches in order to get the most out of everyone's time. "It's just me." I'm fighting to have something to drink. 2 QB and overall prospect by ESPN and is . 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. 14 prospect in the state of Tennessee . And swimming. Rob's parents tried to integrate him as early as they could, putting him in preschool at 18 months. He knows what he has given his team. Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. He is mobile thanks to the chair he controls with his head and neck. Tears begin to fall. I pick up a fork, stab it into the roll, drag it through a puddle of soy sauce and put it in his mouth. 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. Eventually, he became the head coach of. An assistant coach holds a whiteboard a few inches in front of Mendez. "How in the world am I supposed to handle that?" I hope that 'who says I can't?' His jaw dropped. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. "Where you going, man?". 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. For now, I start with a topic far simpler: football. As they head inside, Mendez looks back at me over McAvoy's shoulder. 2021: Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 5 first-team all-state selection at defensive end as a junior. As much as he doesn't want this syndrome to define him, at the same time there's a part of him that loves the fact that it sort of does. 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'm not going to let that happen. He turns his face to the right, pulls his head back and prays. "It gives me this sense of independence." "We have unfinished business." 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. They tell Rob he can't coach for at least four weeks. "You know how Ironman gets in his suit and he just starts flying everywhere? I haven't graduated college yet. When the final buzzer sounds, the players and coaches line up at the 50 to shake hands. Practice starts in a few days. His team is a mix of freshmen and sophomores, some with a bit of experience, most with little to none. "When an able-body person says that they can't do something, his greatest message is, 'who says I can't?' The day-to-day blanks are easy for him to fill in. But he hates the sidewalk. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . Mendez gives me directions. He has spent his life fighting statistics, proving doctors and doubters wrong. ESPN producer Kristen Lappas directed the SC Featured documentary, available on ESPN+. I haven't graduated college yet. Mendez was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, which left him without arms or legs. Some newborns survive only a few hours or days. The quarterback removes the cap from a blue dry erase pen and puts it in Mendez's mouth. His jaw dropped. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. 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. To feel comfortable. "I'm not the perfect guy. On this night, on the same field where this journey began, Mendez gathers his team one last time. Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. "And you're risking it all by not wearing an upper belt.". As they head inside, Mendez looks back at me over McAvoy's shoulder. For now, he's still glowing from the impact his team had on him in his first JV season. It's an image his brain can't compute. It isn't the first time Rob has fallen out of his chair. Eating breakfast. ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals all rank the 5-10, 170-pound receiver as a four-star prospect but his high school coach, former UK defensive back Maurice "Moe" Douglass, is not sure that does him justice. Good s--- you've done with those kids. He says thank you. And swimming. "Bugs the s--- out of me," he says. He says thank you. They just want to move, explore and live. It's a move he makes countless times a day. The driver makes a U-turn, pulls in front of Mendez and flips on his hazards. His torso pushes against his belt. But later he acknowledges he hated having to ask for help. He wanted to leave by 9 p.m., but one conversation led to another. They chose to stay with him. As the clock approaches 11 p.m., he looks at his empty glass and asks for another drink. ", But those experiences come at great cost. "I've been getting messages on Twitter . is an original statement for myself to always be determined and stay hungry in life," Mendez said. One of the bartenders reminds him he's not supposed to have more than two drinks. For the last few minutes of our ride, we both keep quiet. They sit in front of us, untouched, for nearly 10 minutes. Andre Jackson gets instructions from Mendez during the team's first game of the season. Brushing teeth. Bob hears the sound from a few feet away. "They gave me the feeling of being the helper. For Rob, the message from his father was simple: Embrace your differences. The two coaches connected. And now for Odell Beckham Jr's next act It gives me hope for the world." I unbuckle the belt around his waist and weave it through the slits torn on the sides of his shirt. "Yes!" "It brings out the best in people. Most everyone recognizes him and says hello. "Think about it. They have to buy the fake. I turned around, took two to three steps and then I heard it." With the help of adaptive technology, he went skiing. It's just me. "I just wanted to coach football.". It's society that imposes that grief. He insists he's fine, and we order beers. One way he was able to do this is through coaching football. It's only junior varsity. That's not me," Mendez says. Not until he nearly received a DUI driving Rob's handicapped accessible van did he realize the path he was on. "I like the way I am, really," he says. That sentiment has been followed by so many other coaches that he came across in his career. This is the first opportunity for college coaches and high school football players to interact directly with each other on the football field. "That's how humans are -- they adapt. Some newborns survive only a few hours or days. ROB MENDEZ IS not only the most unique high school football coach in America, he's one of the most unique humans in the world. "But I don't think about this the same way everybody else does," he says. I know what you're saying. How does he sleep? He reads, draws and spends extra time with family and friends. Once buckled, Mendez says he feels unstoppable. Mendez doesn't buy it. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. Mendez has made stops at many different schools across the Bay Area, including Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill, Calif. where he met Coach Tim Alvernaz. Some of his plays even came from playing Madden. He is mobile thanks to the chair he controls with his head and neck. The 14-year-old wraps his arms tightly around Mendez's back. When the final buzzer sounds, the players and coaches line up at the 50 to shake hands. The two coaches connected. He tumbles forward. It's all good." Email Mark Fisher. Complaining is my No. Mendez orders a water. on demand Sep 30, 2022 2:45 PM PDT. I guess that from my nurturing from my parents and my determination to be successful in life, as well as all the doubts along the way, I've become more hungry along the way to just be accomplishing in football and in the career of coaching. 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. Mendez picks a spot at the bar next to two women. The football team won the 7A State Championship in 2001, 2002, and 2005. . The next day he spends almost entirely in bed, unable to open his eyes. I don't sign up for being inspirational Rob." "Said they wanted to move on without me," Mendez says. Mendez hopes to someday have the opportunity to coach varsity. Neither team has moved the ball all day, with the game's only points coming on a 35-yard Sobrato field goal three minutes earlier. There's the answer he feels as if he should deliver. How does he coach football? Most everyone recognizes him and says hello. 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. I just knew he was the right man for the job.". Encouraged the group to play for their teammates. Mark Fisher 3D Design Teacher. He briefly leaves Rob in the garage to run inside. It seems like no big deal. And anyone who has a problem with that, prove them wrong.'" Preston Gannaway for ESPN. In high school, his friends organized a 32-team Madden tournament. I'm lazy. Unlike fighting or fantasy games where he constantly had to engage, football gave him breaks. The other kids are special, too. 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. Coach Mendez. You don't have a realistic view of your ability and playing level. The Illinois High School Association football playoff semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 20 and the championship games Friday, Nov. 26 and Saturday, Nov. 27. You hear stories about people with cancer, fighting for their lives. Mendez shakes his head. But later he acknowledges he hated having to ask for help. "But we really have to sell that we are going that way. Please check your email for a confirmation. "His mind is the greatest thing," Prospect JV Assistant Defensive Coordinator Todd Livingston said. This time it's flawless. "Let's get to the bottom of it. This can cost you more than just money. The interview began with Mendez asking Cable for a fist bump on the shoulder. It has given him a life otherwise inaccessible. The team jogs over and surrounds him. The battery on Mendez's wheelchair is dead, so two Panthers push him onto the field. I am currently a senior at Texas Community High School and I will be attending college in the fall semester of 2009. Wayne DrehsDrehs is a senior writer for ESPN. 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. "I love you, bro. He can be stubborn. The battery on his wheelchair is dead, and he wants to charge it at school overnight. If you watch one thing all weekend, it should be ESPNs incredible and inspiring profile of Rob Mendez, a high school football coach unlike any other. Cable obliged. THREE MONTHS AFTER we first met, Mendez and I are in another bar, this time in downtown Campbell. 31 years later, he's changing the football community with his coaching ability as the JV coach of Prospect High School in Saratoga, Calif. and inspiring the world with his story. After a few minutes of conversation, he seemed like any other football coach having a beer on a Friday night. Georgia Tech Football allows high school football coaches to request two (2) complimentary tickets to attend regular season home football games. ", He acknowledges that the attention is often uncomfortable. A few minutes later, he asks if I can follow him home. I tell him that's the most honest he's been in our time together. ", "Yes, Coach," the quarterback says. As a senior, had 74 catches for 1,229 yards and 18 touchdowns . "In life, I feel like I'm always being helped," he says. One player quit because of Mendez. "You have to believe," he says.
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