Trends come and go, the political needle moves back and forth, and change is the only constant. But in Newport Beach, one constant remains: Doing something nice for someone for no particular reason.
For the 42nd year, unprovoked benevolence was bestowed on the last player chosen in the NFL draft. This year it was Chad Kelly’s turn—the 253rd pick by the Denver Broncos.
It’s called Mr. Irrelevant in jest. In reality, it’s anything but. It’s a testament to the relevance and staying power of something that started for fun and turned into a cherished tradition. The observance is the brainchild of Newport Beach resident and former NFL player Paul Salata.
It started in 1976, and as it grew, it picked up sponsors to partner with and nonprofits to benefit. The funds raised this year—$50,000 and counting—go to Orange County Youth Sports Foundation; Costa Mesa-based Serving People in Need, or SPIN; Santa Ana-based KidWorks and The Pegasus School in Huntington Beach.
But the social capital the annual event engenders is priceless, said Newport Beach Mayor Kevin Muldoon.
“To the residents of Newport Beach, Mr. Irrelevant reflects the good sportsmanship and sense of humor of its founder, Paul Salata,” said the first-year mayor. “Personally, I was impressed by Chad Kelly’s humility and kindness.”
Kelly is the nephew of four-time Super Bowl quarterback Jim Kelly, who played for the Buffalo Bills. He said he wasn’t familiar with the Mr. Irrelevant tradition but couldn’t pass up the chance to spend time in Newport Beach.
And the Buffalo native was thrilled to be part of the draft at all.
“It was a dream come true,” he said. “I’ve been working my whole life to make it to the NFL, and now it’s a reality.”
Whirlwind of Festivities
The events started on June 29 when Kelly was greeted on arrival at John Wayne Airport. The next evening, he was feted and humorously roasted at a banquet at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach.
“It was a healthy roasting session,” Kelly joked.
He was given a 21-ounce steak for dinner, a variety of useful gifts, like hand warmers for the chilly Denver climate, and the Lowsman Trophy, which sports a player fumbling.
The second annual presentation of the Paul Salata award honoring “Heroism Beyond the Hashmarks” went to Charles Tyler, who coaches at the Pegasus School. A fund has been created in Tyler’s honor called “Put me in Coach.” It will provide educational and extracurricular experiences for Pegasus kids in need who wouldn’t be able to afford field trips or sports participation on their own. Tyler coaches soccer, basketball and a class on caring, which focuses on playing fair and teamwork and advocates against bullying.
On Saturday morning, Kelly hung out at 30th Street Beach on the Balboa Peninsula. Unfortunately, he couldn’t surf because he recently had surgery on his wrist. That didn’t stop him from having fun with all the kids who showed up, some from KidWorks and some from SPIN. The Mr. Irrelevant team—all volunteers—gave their families bus passes and gas cards to help with transportation, said Melanie Fitch, Paul Salata’s daughter, who serves as chief executive of Irrelevant Week.
“Some of them don’t have cars,” she said.
Leyla Navarro, 9, who participated through KidWorks, said she was having fun.
Kelly marveled at how the roles have been reversed since he was a kid.
“I used to dream about being in this position and meeting NFL players, and now these kids get to come and hang out with me.
The biggest takeaway from the Mr. Irrelevant festivities is honing relationship skills, which is very relevant, Kelly noted.
“You have to build relationships with your teammates,” he said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.”
Kelly said the best part about the events was meeting new people and making relationships “for life.”
Beneficiaries
Funds raised last year provided educational scholarships, uniforms for children in sports, housing for families, food for undernourished children, athletic equipment for the underprivileged, and motor learning development for special-needs children. SPIN benefits from the Mr. Irrelevant events in several ways, including a portion of the proceeds going to its housing program for homeless families with children, said Kim Frazier, director of events and volunteer services.
Prior to this year’s events, Irrelevant Week had provided more than $1 million to various programs and charities.
Fitch said that carrying on the Mr. Irrelevant tradition for the 42nd year is a labor of love. She said it’s lasted so long because the Newport Beach community embraces it.
“When we first started, we were just goofing around,” she said. “Then we started raising money for charities. We’re following up by giving scholarships to kids in need.”
She said she thinks it’s always important to be nice to other people.
“Sometimes people can get too bogged down with criticism and miss the light of being nice,” she said. “We genuinely want to show him and these families a good time.”
Business Sponsors
One of the local businesses to sponsor the events is the Balboa Bay Resort.
Sam El-Rabaa, the resort’s general manager, said he was glad the resort could continue hosting Mr. Irrelevant himself, as well as hosting the banquet. The resort hosted the very first festivities in 1976. It stopped for a while, then resumed two years ago. Last year it couldn’t host the banquet because its ballroom was under renovation, he lamented.
“It’s important for the resort to keep hosting Mr. Irrelevant because it’s tradition.”
Long Shot to NFL
Fitch conceded that being the last one drafted is a long shot for all Mr. Irrelevants. To date, only about a dozen have made it in the NFL.
“We hope [Chad] does.”
