Mendez shakes his head. Rob leans forward in his chair to reach his cell phone. We make it to his home. Along the way, Cable invited Mendez's two best players to move to varsity. 31 years later, he's. Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. Can you lift me out of my chair?". It's just me. "But even before he could talk, I said, 'Somewhere, somebody is going to open a door for this kid and he's going to shine.'" And he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. His comes with a straw. The other kids are special, too. On this night, on the same field where this journey began, Mendez gathers his team one last time. And yeah, of course that's frustrating." When his players ask what happened, he tells them he got into a fight with the pavement. on demand Sep 30, 2022 2:45 PM PDT. I'm lazy. I think back to something his pediatric physical therapist told me. How does he eat? "I've always been like that ever since I was young. All the honorees will . It's a testament to his ability to be comfortable in any surrounding and put strangers at ease. He has heard it from their parents and teachers. "I appreciate you," Mendez says. He reads, draws and spends extra time with family and friends. You hear stories about people with cancer, fighting for their lives. Livingston told me Mendez's presence is living proof of what humans are capable of. It's a move he makes countless times a day. My dad would tell me, 'You're not special, Rob. I couldn't tell you what it felt like to catch a ball in the flat, but I knew what it was and why it worked.". When the final buzzer sounds, the players and coaches line up at the 50 to shake hands. 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. He has spent his life fighting statistics, proving doctors and doubters wrong. This life it just isn't always easy." He learned how to draw and write using his mouth. The driver makes a U-turn, pulls in front of Mendez and flips on his hazards. "This is a defining moment for our program," Vierneisel said. Keep your heads up. And ended each practice with the same message: I love you guys. The 14-year-old wraps his arms tightly around Mendez's back. And different is not bad. I love the feeling when I lift kids up. His presence should tell anyone, if you're paying attention, that your mind is the most powerful thing. . "The Super Bowl of JV football," he says. WVSN instantly reached out to the 2025 class [] WVSN instantly reached out to the 2025 class prospect to find out more about his talks with WVU offensive line coach Matt Moore and his current mindset about his future. It gives me hope for the world. "Let's get to the bottom of it. Chicago, IL. "Thank you," he says to me after his first sip. Without his wheelchair working properly, he can't raise its height to sit next to me at the bar. Prospect High School ( PHS) is a public high school in Saratoga, California, United States. "I wish more people were like that. It's the Friday night before Halloween. 1 poison," he says. After his speech, Mendez asks for a ride home. This time it's flawless. The team jogs over and surrounds him. "Hey," he says, "Would you mind giving me a hand and putting one of those in my mouth?". "Yes!" And ended each practice with the same message: I love you guys. "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. He turns his face to the right, pulls his head back and prays. 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. 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. On convenience alone, it would have been the perfect place for him to coach forever. He couldn't get enough. He rolls in wearing a plain white T-shirt and faded red San Francisco 49ers hat. What do you want people to say about this team? When his players ask what happened, he tells them he got into a fight with the pavement. Bob rushes his son to the hospital. "You have to believe," he says. While he knows that day will be a life-changing experience, he remains humble. I love the feeling when I lift kids up. It's only junior varsity. Mendez operates his cellphone, attached to a stand on his wheelchair, with his nose and lips. is an original statement for myself to always be determined and stay hungry in life," Mendez said. WITH LESS THAN two minutes remaining in the game, Prospect trails 3-0 facing a fourth-and-14 just inside Sobrato territory. "Said they wanted to move on without me," Mendez says. "He's an inspiration to all of us," Alvernaz, said. "I'm sorry," he says. And there's the reality of what he feels, but rarely reveals. Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. One way he was able to do this is through coaching football. He knows what he has given his team. Good s--- you've done with those kids. To feel comfortable. And buckling Rob into his chair. "Thank you," he says to me after his first sip. They sit in front of us, untouched, for nearly 10 minutes. They have to buy the fake. But those who stayed learned about their new coach. I'd completely forgotten that Mendez can't feed himself. He talked about building a family. He's had people who hear his story and then approach him in tears. Mendez gains happiness and joy through helping others and that will be his message when he takes the podium for his acceptance speech. I don't sign up for being inspirational Rob." It's almost midnight. It seems like no big deal. The lift mechanism on his wheelchair broke on the trip. "Be bold and fail, be bold and fail, be bold and succeed. ", Mendez struggles to deal with back and neck pain from spending all day in his chair. I can work with people. Preston Gannaway for ESPN I don't want to be put on a pedestal. "And you're risking it all by not wearing an upper belt.". After a shortened 6-game spring season, that ended on April 23, it was back on the field 108 days later. I suggest we move to a lower table and make things easier. He immediately snaps. But Mendez won't give up that easily. He knows what he has given his team. "I'm so proud of you. The junior quarterback was 24-for-42 . Rob is no different." They wanted Bob to see other babies born with disabilities. IN HIS 30 years, Mendez can't recall a single dream in which he has had arms or legs. "Bugs the s--- out of me," he says. They sit in front of us, untouched, for nearly 10 minutes. 2. Pick a play, execute for a few seconds, take a break, pick another play and repeat. One player quit because of Mendez. The World Series is on television. Thats how I feel in my chair. This is the first opportunity for college coaches and high school football players to interact directly with each other on the football field. I'm in Las Vegas and there's some guy stumbling drunk, looks like he was just in a fight. When we pull into the driveway, McAvoy comes out and carries Mendez into the house. "You know how Ironman gets in his suit and he just starts flying everywhere? Getting dressed. 2. But other than the tetra-amelia disorder, his son Rob was born a healthy baby boy. "Think about it. How High School Football Coaches Help Their Players Get Recruited Sanjay Kirpalani July 5, 2013 Dothan (Ala.) High School head coach Kelvis White is one example of prep coaches doing. But Mendez won't give up that easily. Coaches teach amateur or professional athletes the skills they need to succeed at their sport. I love you, man," Lopez says. Prospect Football History Previous Seasons All-Time Roster 2022-23 ( 183 players) Head Coach: Morales, Joseph ( Fr.) This is one of the worst falls. "Put me on your shoulder," he says. Email Melissa Feucht. But he's always there for the kids. By his senior year, he worked his way up to quarterbacks coach. Mendez orders a water. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. A young boy holds open the door as Mendez approaches his favorite spot. I just knew he was the right man for the job.". by Elk Grove. How could someone who had never held a football teach a freshman how to throw, tackle or block? In the months that follow, Mendez unplugs from football. As the clock approaches 11 p.m., he looks at his empty glass and asks for another drink. Email Ditas Faraon Buhler. Prior to arriving at Prospect, Martindale was at Wheeling High School for 14 years. It seems like no big deal. Pick a play, execute for a few seconds, take a break, pick another play and repeat. 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. "If I can go out there and power through four or five hours, then I'm OK.", Says McAvoy: "That's just him. "I like the way I am, really," he says. It just makes me mad.". Tolliver, Malachi i, e Easter, Noah ( So.) Taking a bath. Where do I put my hands? "I'm so proud of you. So I try not to complain. "Oh whatever," Mendez answers. And that's special because sometimes in this world, on a day-to-day basis, I wish I could do more. As a senior, had 74 catches for 1,229 yards and 18 touchdowns . I said, 'oh yeah? The interview began with Mendez asking Cable for a fist bump on the shoulder. Not having arms or legs has stopped Mendez from being able to play sports or do certain jobs he has always been interested in, like being an electrician, but he always fought to find ways to be happy. Luis Lopez, the JV coach who worked with Mendez at the school, hugs Mendez. It doesnt lead to a good place. The day-to-day blanks are easy for him to fill in. If Rob sensed someone staring, he'd roll up and introduce himself. Copyright 2023 KGO-TV. I'm fighting to have something to drink. 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. He learned to press the buttons with his chin and collarbone. I think he needs them just as much. 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. A few minutes later, he asks if I can follow him home. The battery on Mendez's wheelchair is dead, so two Panthers push him onto the field. Rob has fractured cheek and orbital bones and has the effects of a concussion. on demand Nov 20, 2021 4:00 PM PST. It is part of the Campbell Union High School District . Mendez says it started with the Madden video game. We end up talking for nearly three hours. 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. What if I drop him? Afterward, Bob says doctors and nurses would walk by and stare. The driver makes a U-turn, pulls in front of Mendez and flips on his hazards. Gathers his team one last time and he just starts flying everywhere fight with the pavement on demand 20. 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