prospect high school football coaches

He towed his friends around the neighborhood on their skateboards. That man was Mike Cable. Otherwise there's the potential he'll need to use the bathroom without McAvoy there to help him. Bob hears the sound from a few feet away. Sobrato is located across the street from his parents' home in Morgan Hill. Preston Gannaway for ESPN Luis Lopez, the JV coach who worked with Mendez at the school, hugs Mendez. The next generation of basketball legends will rock uniforms by New York City-based streetwear designer Eric Emanuel. How does he coach football? ", Mendez acknowledges that his presence has had a positive impact on people. Mendez didn't care. "And you're risking it all by not wearing an upper belt.". "You have to believe," he says. Mendez didn't care. It just makes me mad.". Only football coach requests will be accepted. And he knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Mendez calls his last timeout. He can barely open his mouth. Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. I've been a 2 year starter on the varsity football team. "He may not look like a coach, but he definitely acts like one," one of his players said. He was recently appointed as the President of the California Coaches Association. Check out Bay Area safety tracker, Bay Area Life; Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on ABC7, Football coach born without arms or legs to receive Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at 2019 ESPYS, Rob Mendez accepts the 2019 Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYS on July 10. Prospect stifled Evanston on two late fourth quarter drives, and senior Gavin Flanagan booted the game-winning field goal as Prospect survived with a 17-14 Homecoming win to improve to 3-0 on. So I try to stay positive. Unlike fighting or fantasy games where he constantly had to engage, football gave him breaks. I'm not beautiful at all. There have been opportunities over the years to pursue prosthetic limbs, but he has turned them all down. McAvoy has been Mendez's caretaker for the past six years. On convenience alone, it would have been the perfect place for him to coach forever. He hates talking about any of this. All the honorees will . "That's how humans are -- they adapt. I should have a wife by now. It's the Friday night before Halloween. Confirmation/Rejection emails will be sent out by 1:00 PM Thursday letting you know if you are awarded tickets. "It gives me this sense of independence." Coach seats are in a different section that prospect seats. Rio Fujita Math Wizard. I don't want to be put on a pedestal. The season begins in a month. When his friends went out for football his freshman year of high school, Rob became the team manager. Michael Furlong CTE Teacher, AVID Elective Teacher. He doesn't listen to the doctors like he should. Mendez tries to explain, but the kid doesn't get it. "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.'" Earlier in the day, Mendez flew home from Las Vegas, a 48-hour escape before the insanity of the season begins. 1 poison. I haven't graduated college yet. Earlier in the day, Mendez flew home from Las Vegas, a 48-hour escape before the insanity of the season begins. Three blocks in, a blue pickup driving in the other direction recognizes the wheelchair. I think he needs them just as much. "Put me on your shoulder," he says. He doesn't eat right. "But we really have to sell that we are going that way. Email Mark Fisher. Afterward, Bob says doctors and nurses would walk by and stare. As the quarterback rolls out, the play unfolds perfectly. A FEW MINUTES after our first beer, a bartender brings Mendez a plate of California rolls. Most everyone recognizes him and says hello. He can be stubborn. "He told me that I couldn't go out there and dance with a girl. He turns his face to the right, pulls his head back and prays. And that includes getting on the officials when something doesn't go his way. This is the first opportunity for college coaches and high school football players to interact directly with each other on the football field. On this day, one of his freshman quarterbacks struggles to grasp the footwork on the 37 stretch. Is that you?" Good s--- you've done with those kids. "Like a pancake hitting the ground. You hear stories about people with cancer, fighting for their lives. No way." After a few minutes of conversation, he seemed like any other football coach having a beer on a Friday night. While he knows that day will be a life-changing experience, he remains humble. 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. His team is a mix of freshmen and sophomores, some with a bit of experience, most with little to none. I can adjust to anything that's thrown my way. Physically, Mendez is unlike any other high school football coach in the U.S. Mentally and emotionally, he's no different. The World Series is on television. The more we talk that night the more one word keeps popping up: How. Email Melissa Feucht. "It sounds so ridiculous, but it's true," he says. He is mobile thanks to the chair he controls with his head and neck. "Thank you," he says to me after his first sip. You May Also Be Interested In 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. He says they need him, but you know what? And yeah, of course that's frustrating." Mendez doesn't buy it. "He's an inspiration to all of us," Alvernaz, said. "I've been getting messages on Twitter . Coach Reed, My name is Johnny Appleseed. He says if he had arms and legs he has no idea how his life would be different. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated currently ranks Manning as the No. He learned to press the buttons with his chin and collarbone. He talked about building a family. I lift him out of his chair and carry him to my car, buckling him into the passenger's seat. The day is designed by college coaches in order to get the most out of everyone's time. I might take two steps forward and then one step back. This life it just isn't always easy. Mendez tries to explain, but the kid doesn't get it. Encouraged the group to play for their teammates. Rob's father saw potential in the happy, spunky baby, but also wrestled with his own emotions, admitting he often asked God "why?" Football coach without arms or legs inspires teamBorn 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 Elk Grove High School. Encouraged the group to play for their teammates. And now for Odell Beckham Jr's next act He rolls in wearing a plain white T-shirt and faded red San Francisco 49ers hat. The day-to-day blanks are easy for him to fill in. But Rob refuses because the upper belt limits his ability to access his phone and draw plays. Now he has everyone asking, "who says I can't? I love the feeling when I lift kids up. The battery on Mendez's wheelchair is dead, so two Panthers push him onto the field. 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. For now, he's still glowing from the impact his team had on him in his first JV season. I love when the kids say 'nobody', because it's true. 50/50 raffle will be available as well as over 20 beers on tap . "Let's get to the bottom of it. But after losing the season opener to Santa Clara, his Panthers won seven games in a row. Doctors prepared her and her husband for the worst. The two coaches connected. That's how I feel in my chair," he says. A very small percentage. 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. What do you want people to say about this team? His torso pushes against his belt. "I can guarantee you there is someone with no arms and legs living in the mountains somewhere with a whole different story who isn't as active as we are. "Those kids," he says, "gave me the feeling that I can do anything." 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. Embrace it. He has heard it from their parents and teachers. 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. "I wish more people were like that. McAvoy has been Mendez's caretaker for the past six years. 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. They are teachers who coach on the side. The school sits on the western edge of Silicon Valley, just 5 miles from Apple's campus. "It's 37 stretch, right? I pick up a fork, stab it into the roll, drag it through a puddle of soy sauce and put it in his mouth. And anyone who has a problem with that, prove them wrong.'". Despite the fast changeover, coaches and players are ready for a full 9-game season. 'Who says I can't?' They chose to stay with him. Preston Gannaway for ESPN. After a few minutes of conversation, Cable believed he had his man. And just like that, the man who so often projects like everything is fine rips off his facade. 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 throw is too long, and the ball harmlessly caroms out of bounds. I'm sorry. When his friends played basketball, Rob was the referee. "It sounds so ridiculous, but it's true," he says. It's just me. "They don't have the grief of losing a limb because they never had it. 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. "I can guarantee you there is someone with no arms and legs living in the mountains somewhere with a whole different story who isn't as active as we are. It took him more than a half hour - sometimes two steps up, one step down -- but he did it. 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. by Elk Grove. For the next 12 years, he worked as an assistant coach at five high schools, waiting for someone to believe in him as a head coach. 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. They gave me a feeling of importance. 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. Im fighting to have something to drink. Eating breakfast. "Complaining is my No. They just want to move, explore and live. "I just wanted to coach football.". 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. When dealing with clubs, coaches are easily accessible and are in the business of helping players get into a college program. IN HIS 30 years, Mendez can't recall a single dream in which he has had arms or legs. "And you're risking it all by not wearing an upper belt." "I've always been someone to be not afraid of failure," Mendez said. He's a great guy and I'll go to the end of the earth for him.". 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. I'm in Las Vegas and there's some guy stumbling drunk, looks like he was just in a fight. has become a motto for the Prospect Football teams and, of course, for Mendez. The positiveness of your mind can get you to do unbelievable things and feats and that's what he does.". It's only junior varsity. And how does he deal with such a challenging life? He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com. The left side of his face slams into the concrete floor of the garage. Preston Gannaway for ESPN, A FEW MINUTES after our first beer, a bartender brings Mendez a plate of California rolls. He's meeting me at the bar. He is 50 pounds of head, neck, torso and waist. Afterward, Bob says doctors and nurses would walk by and stare. Andre Jackson gets instructions from Mendez during the team's first game of the season. "I think every parent worries about their kids when they leave this earth," Bob says. We end up talking for nearly three hours. "It didn't take long for me to figure out that alcohol is not the answer." And buckling Rob into his chair. "About damn time," McAvoy says with a grin. Those who do survive often end up with significant intellectual disabilities. "I'm sitting right there at the bar next to you. As a senior, had 74 catches for 1,229 yards and 18 touchdowns . It just makes me mad." ", Mendez struggles to deal with back and neck pain from spending all day in his chair. His father has long wished that Rob would wear an upper belt as well as the one that wraps around his waist. His resiliency inspired others around him and made it an asset to have him on the staff. At first, students and staffers did not quite know what to make of Robert, but it did not take him long to put their fears to rest. He drew up game plans on Madden and took them to practice. That's what I've realized over the years.". The more we talk that night the more one word keeps popping up: How. Three other players start chitchatting between reps. Mendez loses it. A plain white T-shirt and faded red San Francisco 49ers hat does. `` football..... His friends around the neighborhood on their skateboards and high school football players interact. About damn time, '' Alvernaz, said a different section that prospect seats like any other high football. Panthers won seven games in a row might take two steps forward and then one step down -- but has. 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