Inspiring Coach Rob Mendez Leads Team To Winning Season

SARATOGA, CA - AUGUST 24: Rob Mendez, the head coach for the Prospect High School Junior Varsity football team, cheers for his team on the sidelines during their first game of the season against Santa Clara High School on August 24, 2018 in Saratoga, California. Prospect lost the game 18-14. Rob Mendez was born without arms and legs. He does not let that stop him from being a football coach. Mendez, who moves in a custom made wheelchair that is operated by sensors near his shoulders, developed his passion for coaching when he was in high school. He attended Gilroy High in northern California, and began watching his friends at football practice after school. One day the coach called him over to join the huddle, and since that day Mendez has always wanted to be a football coach. Mendez, now 30-years-old, lives with his friend and caregiver, Mike McAvoy, in Gilroy not far from where he grew up. For the last 12 years, Mendez has held different coaching jobs at numerous schools. This is his first year as head coach, leading the Prospect High School Junior Varsity team in Saratoga, California. The players on the team quickly adapted to MendezÕ donÕt-give-up attitude. After losing their first game by only four points, they won the next six straight games. They lost only one other game by a mere field goal, and won their last game to finish the season 8-2. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)