Today in partnership with Riddell, USA Football surprised Coach Rob Mendez of Prospect High School (Saratoga, Calif.) on the Rachael Ray Show with a $10,000 equipment grant for his commitment to player safety, advancing America’s favorite sport.

Coach Mendez was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare congenital disorder that prevents the formation of limbs during a person’s embryonic development. He has lived his entire life without arms and legs and is mobile thanks to the chair he controls with his head and neck.

Though he was never able to play football, Coach Mendez fervently pursued his passion for coaching. The Madden video game captured his imagination for the sport as a youngster, which led him to become a team manager, then an assistant coach and now head coach of Prospect High School’s JV team. He led the Panthers to an 8-2 record in his first year at the helm and revitalized the program’s culture. He was honored at the 2019 ESPY Awards with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. For more on Coach Mendez’s story, click here.

Riddell, the official protective equipment partner of USA Football and premier designer and developer of protective sports equipment, is a long-time supporter of USA Football’s programs and initiatives. Riddell assists USA Football as the independent non-profit awards more than $1.5 million in grants to youth and high school programs annually.