Just don't call him inspirational

The audience rose to their feet when Rob Mendez took the stage at the annual ESPYs (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) awards in Los Angeles this month to accept the Jimmy V. Perseverance Award.

Looking dapper in a gray suit and silver tie, Mendez looked out at the audience full of today's top-tier athletes and began his acceptance speech by thanking a long list of people in his life. Then he offered this:

"I also want to thank the game of football for all it's given me," he told the audience. "For allowing me to be a part of the team."

He admitted it was hard for him to fathom receiving such an the award.

No doubt it is, because Mendez, who was speaking from a specially designed wheelchair, has no arms or legs.

He smiled and laughed, occasionally pausing during his speech in seeming disbelief as he maneuvers his chair around the stage before turning more solemn. He didn't talk about being an inspiration, but about outcomes. Doing and achieving; focusing and getting things done.

"The reality is I am here," he said with a shrug as Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, looked on from stage right. "And if there is any message I want to give you guys tonight, it's to look at me and see how much passion I put into coaching, and how far it's gotten me. When you dedicate yourself to something and open your mind to different possibilities and focus on what you can do instead of what you can't do, you really can go places in this world."

Born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a congenital disorder, the 30-year-old Mendez is junior varsity football head coach for Prospect High School in Saratoga, Calif., just a bit southwest of San Jose. It took him 12 years to land the position, according to CNN. Finally named to the post last summer, he then took his team - few could remember winning anything, according to ESPN - to an 8-2 record for the season.

"He's kind of a like a light in a dark room," his father, Robert, told the San Jose's Mercury News in a November 2018 article.

Robert encouraged his son to embrace his differences. He wasn't special, he told him, just different.

"We are all special," Mendez told ESPN. "The other kids are special too. My dad would tell me, 'You're not special, Rob. You're different. And different is not bad. Embrace it. Push the limits'."

Mendez, who requires ongoing assistance such as a live-in caregiver, hasn't allowed his condition to hold him back from achieving his goals.

Although media accounts differ, Mendez got the football bug after he was invited to join a huddle by coaches of his friends who played football, according to the Mercury News. He was soon wearing a headset to listen-in on play calling during games and was invited to join quarterback meetings.

He learned the finer details of the game playing Madden NFL on a PlayStation using his chin and collar bone to manipulate the controller, according to ESPN, even coming in second in a 32-team tournament in high school.

He went on to coach at Gilroy High School, his alma mater, after graduating in 2006, and went on to coach at three other high schools before landing at Prospect High, where he started as JV offensive coordinator and varsity quarterback coach.

(If he has a vice, it's that he's a "beloved" 49ers fan.)

Mendez was the subject of an in-depth ESPN feature in February called, "Who says I can't," that dives deep into his life. It should be a must-read for players and coaches alike. Type "ESPN features Rob Mendez" into your browser to read it.

By his own admission, however, Mendez is uncomfortable with being inspirational. He'd rather just be known for his goal-oriented accomplishments, like anyone else.

"I just want to be Coach Rob. Coach Mendez," he told ESPN. "I love that. I don't sign up for being inspirational Rob."

Yet, the more he accomplishes, the more inspirational he becomes, especially considering all that he overcomes on a daily basis.

"I've made it this far, and who says I can't go further?" he said during the ESPYs, then yelled, "Who says I can't? NOBODY!"

I'd play for that guy any day. Sign me up, coach.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.