In a week filled with nostalgia, merriment and reconciliation, 20 Mr. Irrelevant honorees participated in the 50th annual Irrelevant Week “Celebration of the Underdog” in Newport Beach.
From Jim Kelleher, the oldest living Mr. Irrelevant from 1977, to Kobee Minor, the 257th and last pick in the 2025 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, this year’s Irrelevant Week was highlighted by the Lowsman Trophy banquet at the Balboa Bay Resort, where all 20 toasted together on stage to conclude the event.
Earlier in the evening, with Minor sitting on stage as Lakers broadcaster John Ireland emceed the banquet, Tae Crowder, the 2020 honoree who never had a banquet or other Irrelevant activities in his honor because of the pandemic, joined Minor on stage in a poignant exhibit of fraternity.
“We call him COVID Crowder, because he never had an Irrelevant Week celebration,” said Irrelevant Week CEO Melanie Fitch, daughter of Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata. “We never got to meet Tae in person. This is the first time – this week – that we got to meet him.”
A linebacker, Crowder was a rare Mr. Irrelevant who became an immediate contributor, starting 31 games for the New York Giants. Crowder was the first defensive Mr. Irrelevant to score an NFL touchdown.
Minor, a cornerback out of the University of Memphis, is hopeful of making the team with the Patriots and enjoying a successful career in professional football.
“There’s been a lot of media attention since I became (Mr. Irrelevant),” said Minor, who has a quiet demeanor. “I don’t really care for all the attention like that. I play football with a lot of passion, because I love this game and (playing in the NFL) is something I can do for my family.”
Minor participated in myriad activities, including visiting the Newport Beach Junior Lifeguards, attending a VIP luncheon at The Cannery with local dignitaries and restaurant host Ron Salisbury, taking surfing lessons and “getting up” on his second try, touring a series of Saturday night “eateries” near Newport Pier, going to Disneyland, being interviewed for a Fox Sports show and receiving the Lowsman Trophy in a jam-packed ballroom on Friday.
The Lowsman Trophy is the so-called cousin to the Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best player in college football. The Lowsman bronze figurine, however, depicts a player fumbling the ball.
“It’s much better to be the last pick than being the second-to-last pick,” Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton said to Minor.
Minor, who spells his first name with two “e’s” at the end, is named after legendary Lakers star Kobe Bryant, a favorite player of his father, Darryl, and mother, Zsa Zsa. “That’s a great name to have in Newport Beach – Kobee,” Ireland said to Minor, before awarding him the Lowsman Trophy.
In addition to Minor, Kelleher and Crowder, Mr. Irrelevant attendees included Bill Kenney (1978), Kevin Scanlon (1980), Mike Travis (1986), Matt Elliott (1992), Marty Moore (1994) and Sam Manuel (1996), along with his identical twin brother, Sean, who was drafted just ahead of him.
The twins enjoyed confusing people during their visit almost three decades ago, wearing name tags that read “S. Manuel.”
Other past Irrelevant recipients at the 50-year anniversary banquet were Tevita Ofahengaue (2001), Ryan Hoag (2003), Andy Stokes (2005), Kevin McMahan (2006), Tim Toone (2010), Justice Cunningham (2013), Gerald Christian (2015), Caleb Wilson (2019), Desjuan Johnson (2023) and Jaylen Key (2024).
“Thanks for putting on this event,” Minor said. “You really didn’t have to. I’ll keep working hard. Thank you.”
Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.
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