“Who says I can’t?” has been the battle cry of the Prospect High School football team ever since their coach Robert Mendez, Jr. taught them how to respond to this question the moment they met him. When he asks the team this question before their games, they promptly respond “Nobody!”

This has actually been Robert’s motto all his life, as he was born with no arms or legs.

Robert was born with tetra-amelia, a condition that is so rare that less than 100 children are born with it a year.

Though he had no limbs, Robert never let this hold him back from accomplishing his goals.

“He sees people staring as an opportunity,” his father Robert Mendez, Sr. said.

As an avid sports fan, Robert was saddened that he could never participate in sports, yet he still found a way to take part in his high school football team by becoming their manager. His high school coach Skip Bloom recalled that as soon as Robert became the manager, it was clear that he had tons of skill in the game.

“He learned the game playing Madden Football,” Skip said. “Next thing you know he was there running the drills for us. His ability to study the game and his ability to translate that for the kids is unmatched by any of the coaches I know.”

As an adult, Robert was determined to get a job coaching football, but he was always passed over because of his lack of limbs. Finally, after 13 years, he was able to get a job at Prospect High School in California as their high school football coach.

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 may not look like a coach, but he definitely acts like one,” one of his players said.

Robert taught his players a deeper understanding of football as well as a sense of compassion they never had before. During his first year coaching them, the team went undefeated in seven straight games.

“Our opponents would always doubt him because they see a man in a wheelchair. To us we see a coach who’s perfect,” said the team’s quarterback, with another player adding, “Pushing him off the field after games makes me feel proud to have him as my coach.”

Other teachers at the school have noticed a big change in the football players since Robert became their coach, as he’s inspiring players to work harder in everything they do. Learn more about Robert’s incredible story in the video below.