How Fernando Mendoza’s Shocking NFL Draft Journey Defied All Odds
A few weeks into his first season playing tackle football, Fernando Mendoza told his parents that he wanted to quit.
The 10-year-old Cuban-American boy who occasionally stuttered when he spoke was struggling to make friends with his new teammates or to elbow his way into the competition to earn playing time at quarterback.
“In fourth grade, I was a new kid on the park football team,” Mendoza recalled in December while delivering his acceptance speech after winning the Heisman Trophy. “Didn’t know a single teammate, and was fourth on the depth chart. By midseason, I wanted to get out of there. I wanted to quit.”

Post Comment