NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — One Mr. Irrelevant called off his wedding during Irrelevant Week.
Another invited an uncle who had a warrant out for his arrest in relation to a bank robbery. (The uncle was arrested upon returning home.)
In 1976, a butcher from a local supermarket stood in for the first Mr. Irrelevant, Kelvin Kirk, a wide receiver from the University of Dayton, during a news conference.
Idaho linebacker David Vobora had dinner with Hugh Hefner and the Girls Next Door at the Playboy Mansion in 2008.
And Brock Purdy had the audacity of turning into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
What started as a random act of kindness has turned into one of the most anticipated events in Newport Beach each year and a staple of NFL draft coverage. In recent years, the tagline Mr. Irrelevant has meant Mr. Germane.
“Our stock is going up as Mr. Irrelevants,” said 2012 Mr. Irrelevant Chandler Harnish, who played three seasons in the NFL. The former Northern Illinois quarterback was the 2012 Mid-American Conference player of the year.
The Mr. Irrelevant nickname used to fit. When former San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts wide receiver Paul Salata first conjured up the idea in 1976 to honor the final pick of the NFL draft, the draft had 17 rounds. Pick No. 487 wasn’t going to make the team.
Kirk didn’t, as the Pittsburgh Steelers released him before the 1976 season. (He missed his flight to Irrelevant Week, so Salata had a butcher play the role of Kirk at a news conference. The media was unaware of the interviewee’s true identity.)
But Salata’s idea wasn’t to mock the final pick or poke fun at his status. He grew up poor in Los Angeles and had a soft spot for the underprivileged. The friend of longtime NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle wanted to honor the final pick as if he were the first player drafted.
Salata believed it was irrelevant if you were the final pick, getting drafted at all is an accomplishment. However, the Mr. Irrelevant nickname took on a different meaning.
“It’s really difficult to get drafted in today’s age,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “Thirty, 40 years ago, a lot of people got drafted. There were more rounds. There was a lot less attention to detail in the scouting process. These personnel departments now are splitting hairs, and rightfully so, it’s a big-time business. To have your name called is certainly an honor. Obviously, the attention the NFL has created around Mr. Irrelevant is really cool.”
Former Toledo defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson is discovering that this week during a dream vacation on the Southern California coast. TV shows are produced centered around Newport Beach and Orange County. Yacht clubs, Disneyland, and surfing in the Pacific Ocean aren’t bad ways to pass your time.
“I want to go out there and play football and do what I love to do,” Johnson said. “The whole Mr. Irrelevant thing, I don’t think bad about it. I look at it as something good, that I get a grand welcome into the NFL. Of course, there’s a lot I need to improve on and get better at as I transition into the NFL. I’m looking forward to seeing my progress. I’m ready to start this journey. I want to be the next Mr. Irrelevant who’s very successful.”
The list is growing by the year after decades of, well, irrelevance.
Mr. Irrelevant garnered so much publicity that in 1979 the Rams, who owned the second-to-last pick, passed to the Steelers. Pittsburgh also wanted the final pick and passed as well, leading to a stalemate. Rozelle forced the Rams to pick, allowing the Steelers to pick last. The incident led to the Salata Rule, prohibiting teams from passing to get the final pick.
“Once they called [Johnson’s] name last and we found out what Mr. Irrelevant was, I feel like his name will be forever mentioned in history,” Johnson’s mother, Lacreasia Stegar, said. “I think it’s awesome.”
Tyrone McGriff of the Pittsburgh Steelers was a member of the NFL All-Rookie team in 1980, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to make a splash on the field. Marty Moore, a linebacker from Kentucky, was the first Mr. Irrelevant of the seven-round draft era when he was the final pick of the 1994 draft. The New England Patriot also became the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in a Super Bowl (1997) and win a Super Bowl (2002).
Safety Mike Green was the final pick of the 2000 draft and developed into a starter for the Chicago Bears. Fullback Jim Finn won a Super Bowl ring in the Giants’ stunning upset over the previously undefeated Patriots in 2008.
“Really, from the beginning, the community got on board,” said Irrelevant Week CEO Melanie Fitch, the daughter of Salata. “It’s an annual event. To take off to the level that it’s at now probably didn’t happen until Ryan Succop in 2009.”
The South Carolina kicker was drafted last by the Kansas City Chiefs, tying the NFL record for the highest field-goal percentage by a rookie (86.2 percent). Succop was a starter his entire career with Kansas City, the Tennessee Titans, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He became the third Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl (2021) and the first to do so as a starter.
The past 10 Mr. Irrelevant picks have played at least one game in the NFL, including 2020 Mr. Irrelevant Tae Crowder, a starting linebacker for the Giants. But Purdy has rewritten the script on what success looks like for Mr. Irrelevant, bursting onto the scene last season and leading the 49ers to the NFC championship game.
“A lot of people don’t put any respect into the name,” Harnish said. “But the guys that get drafted last are still very qualified to do what they do on the field. There are a lot of great players who don’t get drafted.”
Irrelevant Week has evolved into a must-see event on the Newport Beach society calendar. The formal Lowsman Banquet, a roast of Mr. Irrelevant, sells out its 500 tickets well in advance. (The Lowsman Trophy, the opposite of the Heisman, depicts a player mid-fumble.) Fitch’s stated goal is to treat Mr. Irrelevant like a king, so there are plenty of extracurricular activities in the ocean and all the food and drinks one can consume.
BYU tight end Tevita Ofahengaue, who was born in Tonga, took the king thing a little too literally in 2001 when he invited 63 family members to accompany him to Newport Beach. After that, Fitch instituted the Ofahengaue Rule, which limited the number of guests Mr. Irrelevant could bring.
“It was like the Kingdom of Tonga had come to Newport Beach,” said Fitch, who had to scramble to find lodging for everyone.
Salata’s motto was: “Doing something nice for someone for no reason.” Royal treatment for an otherwise anonymous football player fits the maxim. Mr. Irrelevant has become an exclusive fraternity among the players, while the Salata and Fitch families have lasting relationships with those who spent time in Newport Beach.
Harnish remains in touch with Fitch and updates her on milestones in his life. He even stayed in her condo for vacation.
“They make you feel like family,” he said.
Support from the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses has allowed Irrelevant Week to flourish, with millions of dollars donated to charity. Their generosity also contributes to the flood of gifts Mr. Irrelevant receives, from the practical (clothes, a watch, golf clubs) to the gags (Speedo) to the unique (a puppy).
Mr. Irrelevant is an underdog, after all. Unless Purdy changed the dynamic in perpetuity. He texted Johnson shortly after the Rams drafted the former Rocket.
“You’re next,” the message read.
First Published June 24, 2023, 4:32 p.m.
