Countdown to Irrelevant Week XXV

Richard Dunn

Along with being the silver anniversary Mr. Irrelevant honoree,

Northwestern State (La.) free safety Michael Green will become the 22nd

player to receive the coveted Lowsman Trophy, an award at the opposite

end of the college football spectrum from its more famous counterpart.

Highlighting the zany, weeklong celebration of the last man picked in the

NFL draft, a.k.a. Irrelevant Week, is the All-Star Sports Banquet and

Lowsman Trophy presentation to Mr. Irrelevant XXV on June 21 at the

Newport Beach Marriott.

But what exactly is the Lowsman Trophy?

Created in 1979 specifically to be awarded to the honoree of the

nationally famous Irrelevant Week -- founded by Newport Beach businessman

and former USC and NFL wide receiver Paul Salata -- the trophy is a

bronze sculpture that depicts a football player dropping a ball.

Each year at the All-Star Sports Banquet, Mr. Irrelevant receives a

replica of the original, which is on display at the University Athletic

Club in Newport Beach. Conversely, the Heisman Trophy is awarded to

college football’s top player and presented each year by the New York

Athletic Club.

An interesting side note to this year’s award is that Mr. Irrelevant XXV

played at the same college as the first recipient of the Lowsman Trophy

-- Northwestern State wide receiver Mike Almond, who was picked 334th and

dead last by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1979.

This year, Green was selected 254th by the Chicago Bears (since ‘79, the

NFL draft has been shortened to seven rounds).

The All-Star Sports Banquet, sponsored by the Orange County Sports

Celebrities, is always attended by a celebrity-studded crowd of Hall of

Fame athletes and civic dignitaries, while Mr. Irrelevant is roasted,

boasted and toasted by the slickest tongues in town. Details: (949)

263-0727.