HS football coach born without arms or legs to be honored at ESPYs

Rob Mendez, a high school football coach who doesn't have arms or legs, will be presented with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs on July 10.

Mendez was born with Tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs. Unable to play football, he used Madden video games to teach himself the fundamentals of the sport.

"It sounds so ridiculous, but it's true," he told ESPN's Wayne Drehs in a feature story published in February. "That's how humans are - they adapt. 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."

Mendez spent 12 years working as an assistant at various schools before being hired as head coach of the junior varsity football team at Prospect High School in Saratoga, Calif., in April 2018. He led the team to an 8-2 record in his first season.

Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly received the Jimmy V Award at the 2018 ESPYs.