The more we talk that night the more one word keeps popping up: How. It's a move he makes countless times a day. "We live and die." I love it. I know what you're saying. Pick a play, execute for a few seconds, take a break, pick another play and repeat. 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. "Let's get to the bottom of it. Coach seats are in a different section that prospect seats. Minorities make up 73 percent of the student body. I make mistakes. Also by Wayne Drehs: Grounds for Return. He tumbles forward. It's a testament to his ability to be comfortable in any surrounding and put strangers at ease. THE DAY AFTER teaching his quarterback the 37 stretch, Mendez sits under the lights at the Prospect 50-yard line, exhausted. Its classrooms are a melting pot. For the last few minutes of our ride, we both keep quiet. Email Mark Fisher. And because of Rob's lack of limbs, his father says he retains 30 percent more heat than someone who has arms and legs. It just makes me mad. The school sits on the western edge of Silicon Valley, just 5 miles from Apple's campus. More SC Featured Only football coach requests will be accepted. There is nothing to break his fall. Some newborns survive only a few hours or days. But it isn't that simple. "He may not look like a coach, but he definitely acts like one," one of his players said. It's the second day of the team's sleep-at-school preseason camp, and the coach is trying to install one of his favorite plays: the 37 stretch. He doesn't listen. Doctors recommend surgery. ESPN producer Kristen Lappas directed the SC Featured documentary, available on ESPN+. By his senior year, he worked his way up to quarterbacks coach. He has scoliosis, which makes his spine look far more like an "S" than the "I." I suggest we move to a lower table and make things easier. Prospect's Amazing and Dedicated Coaches! The battery on his wheelchair is dead, and he wants to charge it at school overnight. It isn't the first time Rob has fallen out of his chair. But coaches on his staff says he only used that as an opportunity to teach and motivate once again. "We live and die. 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. Unofficial or official visit invites. ", In the months that follow, Mendez unplugs from football. How does he coach football? Taking a bath. But Mendez won't give up that easily. He knows what he has given his team. He says they need him, but you know what? SARATOGA, Calif. (KGO) -- Bay Area high school football coach Rob Mendez was born with a rare disorder called tetra-amelia syndrome, leaving him with no arms or legs. Tired. "It brings out the best in people. His comes with a straw. He tells the story of his father putting him on the stairs when he was 9 years old, demanding that he climb to the top. He tells his offense he believes in them. His parents connected him with Vujicic, who Mendez said told him he could make $25,000 per night as a motivational speaker. 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. At that point, she says, abortion wasn't an option. Now the entire Prospect program circles around Mendez at midfield. I'd completely forgotten that Mendez can't feed himself. That man was Mike Cable. The Illinois High School Football Coaches' Association announced their list of all-state players Wednesday. Andre Jackson gets instructions from Mendez during the team's first game of the season. We're going to fake it this way and then waggle out," he says. 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 I love the feeling when I lift kids up. I might take two steps forward and then one step back. How did someone who has never thrown a ball, caught a pass or tackled anyone become a head coach? Mendez calls his last timeout. But those who stayed learned about their new coach. "Where you going, man?" Mendez taught himself the game of football by playing Madden on a PlayStation, using his chin and collarbone to push the buttons. "When someone is born this way, this is their world," says Dr. Benjamin Mandac, Mendez's pediatric physical therapist who now is the head of that department at Kaiser Permanente in the Bay Area. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. Mendez calls his last timeout. Preston Gannaway for ESPN What if I drop him? It took him more than a half hour - sometimes two steps up, one step down -- but he did it. If I'm sitting there and don't smile or say hello, I just feel like that's rude." They sit in front of us, untouched, for nearly 10 minutes. Initially, Josie struggled. "It didn't take long for me to figure out that alcohol is not the answer." He can be stubborn. "I'm not going to lie. Chicago, IL. The 14-year-old wraps his arms tightly around Mendez's back. It seems like no big deal. We're the ones who feel sorry for them and say, 'Oh you poor thing.' More award-winning storytelling from SC Featured, One dog's remarkable journey to find a home, "Screw that," he says. "I've been getting messages on Twitter . "Think about it. After 12 years of working, Prospect High School gave him that chance. "How in the world am I supposed to handle that?" "It's 37 stretch, right? He has heard it from their parents and teachers. At the end of every day, I'm sore." High School North Kansas City . "Yes!" ! ONE WEEK LATER, Prospect finishes its season 8-2 with a 19-13 victory over Yerba Buena. Combing hair. on demand Nov 20, 2021 4:00 PM PST. In an earlier sworn deposition as part of a lawsuit filed by former Valdosta High football coach Alan Rodemaker, Nelson accused Propst of wanting $2,500 per month to pay for rent and other . Now comes the opportunity to prove the school made a mistake. Keep your heads up. Steven O'Dell, a big class of 2024 prospect from Broome High School in Spartanburg, told The Clemson Insider that he's been hearing some from the Tigers via social media and communicating with Thomas Austin. "There's no way," he says. He says thank you. This time it's flawless. And he doesn't like the idea I have for framing his story. Cable obliged. Coach Reed, My name is Johnny Appleseed. Please check your email for a confirmation. His greatest fear was failure. 14 prospect in the state of Tennessee . Preston Gannaway for ESPN. One player quit because of Mendez. Because he weighs 50 pounds, alcohol affects him faster than people who weigh much more. How are you going to get there?" "I'm so proud of you. And to just kill the pain," he says. We end up talking for nearly three hours. The lift mechanism on his wheelchair broke on the trip. I make mistakes. IN HIS 30 years, Mendez can't recall a single dream in which he has had arms or legs. The California Cool of Jared Goff Unlike fighting or fantasy games where he constantly had to engage, football gave him breaks. "But we really have to sell that we are going that way. Jalen Ramsey: The man, the mouth, the legend An assistant coach holds a whiteboard a few inches in front of Mendez. His head drops. "It brings out the best in people. It is hard for college coaches to obtain rosters from high school coaches, and even harder to get them to hand over contact . His greatest fear was failure. Mendez picks a spot at the bar next to two women. He can be stubborn. 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.". Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. He doesn't listen. You hear stories about people with cancer, fighting for their lives. It happened at the end of his senior prom, when he tipped over the wheelchair ramp as he and his classmates were leaving. On this day, one of his freshman quarterbacks struggles to grasp the footwork on the 37 stretch. 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. Coaches teach amateur or professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. Prior to arriving at Prospect, Martindale was at Wheeling High School for 14 years. He demanded respect, eye contact and accountability. 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. "I appreciate you," Mendez says. 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. He learned how to draw and write using his mouth. It actually came well before Mendez started coaching football. SARATOGA, Calif. (KGO) -- Bay Area high school football coach Rob Mendez was born with a rare disorder called tetra-amelia syndrome, leaving him with no arms or legs. I love when the kids say 'nobody', because it's true. 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. Any other details they should know (If you have previously attended the school's camp or met the coaches) Sample Introductory Email: To: Reed@email.edu, RecruitingCoordinator@email.edu, SecondAssistant@email.edu. Email Ditas Faraon Buhler. 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. 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. 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. Rob's parents tried to integrate him as early as they could, putting him in preschool at 18 months. "Great job, Coach. On this night, on the same field where this journey began, Mendez gathers his team one last time. Bob hears the sound from a few feet away. He towed his friends around the neighborhood on their skateboards. Some newborns survive only a few hours or days. How does he sleep? "I was drinking to forget. I haven't graduated college yet. That's what I've realized over the years.". In a little more than 12 hours, Prospect will play for the league JV championship. He learned to press the buttons with his chin and collarbone. And buckling Rob into his chair. Mendez orders a water. I think he needs them just as much. Livingston told me Mendez's presence is living proof of what humans are capable of. The green mile marker signs fly past on Highway 101. Make sure to check your junk mail folder if you do not receive an email . I lift him out of his chair and carry him to my car, buckling him into the passenger's seat. Prospect High School JV Football Coach Rob Mendez was born with a rare disorder that left him with no arms or legs. On Feb. 23, Dan DeBoeuf, the former head coach at Johnsburg High School was named the head coach of Prospect. 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. The players jog back to their positions. on demand Sep 30, 2022 2:45 PM PDT. "By the time I was a senior in high school I was wearing a headset with the coaches and listening to them," he said. There's a lot on his mind. "So I try to stay positive. I panic. 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. 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