"
Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year
upon the last pick of the annual
National Football League draft.
Irrelevant Week
The name
arose in 1976, when former Southern
California and NFL receiver Paul
Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach,
California
. Salata announces the final draft pick
during the NFL draft. During the summer after the NFL draft, the
new Mr. Irrelevant and his family are invited to spend a week in
Newport, where they enjoy a golf tournament, a
regatta, a
roast
giving advice to the new draftee, and a ceremony awarding him the
Lowsman Trophy. The trophy mimics the
Heisman, but depicts a player fumbling a
football.
The first Mr. Irrelevant was Kelvin Kirk, picked number 487 of the
1976 draft.
The current Mr. Irrelevant is kicker Ryan Succop of the University of
South Carolina
, pick number 256 of the 2009 draft. He was
selected by the
Kansas City
Chiefs.
Notable "winners"
Several players who have been presented with this dubious honor
have nevertheless succeeded in making the team that drafted them,
with significant contributions on the field.
Bill Kenney, who won the 1978 Mr. Irrelevant
award under special circumstances (see below), was even honored
with an invitation to the
Pro Bowl in 1983.
Special teams player
Marty Moore became the first Mr. Irrelevant to
play in a
Super Bowl, with the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl XXXI.
Jim
Finn was the starting
fullback for the
New York Giants.
Mike Green has been a
starting
safety for the
Bears and backup for the
Seahawks, and is currently a backup for the
Redskins. 2007's
Ramzee Robinson was originally drafted by
the
Detroit Lions and signed with the
Philadelphia Eagles in 2009.
2008 winner
David Vobora is a starting
linebacker for the
St. Louis Rams beginning in the
2009 season. 2009 winner
Ryan Succop is the starting
kicker for the
Kansas City Chiefs.
One "Mr. Irrelevant" (who actually predated the award by nearly a
decade) went on to a productive professional career in another
sport.
Jimmy Walker was
the final pick in 1967 despite never having played college
football.
His main sport, however, was basketball, in which he was a consensus
All-American and the nation's leading scorer as a senior at
Providence
. Walker was the first overall pick in the
1967 NBA Draft, and logically opted
for a career in the
NBA.
Mr. Irrelevant winners and other final selections
align=left>
Ryan Succop
align=left>
David Vobora
Notes
- There were two awardees, as Scanlon chose to play in the
Canadian Football League and
McGriff was named as a replacement.
- Two Mr. Irrelevants resulted because original selection
Washburn could not attend training camp because of a back injury.
Kenney was named as a replacement as a result.
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