NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—Quarterback Brock Purdy was presented with the Lowsman Trophy in celebration of the 47th “Mr. Irrelevant” event dinner as the final pick of the NFL Draft, at The Cannery restaurant on Monday night.
Drafted in the seventh round as the 262nd pick by the San Francisco 49ers, Purdy comes from Iowa State, where he became a starter his freshman year in 2018 following his teammate Kyle Kempt’s injury.
Purdy started eight games in his career, completing 146 of 220 passes for 2,250 yards, with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions—also rushing for 308 yards and five touchdowns. He played at Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona.
Mr. Irrelevant and Irrelevant Week was founded by former NFL player Paul Salata in 1976. Salata was a former USC and 49ers receiver. He scored the 49ers final touchdown in the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), as well as the franchise’s first TD in the NFL.
After his second team, the Baltimore Colts, folded in 1950, Salata was declared draft-eligible and was picked in the tenth round of the 1951 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Salata passed away one day before his 95th birthday on October 16, 2021, but he announced the final Mr. Irrelevant pick until 2013. His daughter, Melanie, is currently the emcee of the event.
“He was maybe the biggest tornado of personality I’ve ever met—doing something nice for somebody for no reason,” said co-host sports announcer John Ireland of Salata, whose parents were first and second generation Serbian-Americans.
Following his retirement from football, Salata joined his family’s Southern California construction business and also appeared in several Hollywood movies. Salata played Tony Minelli in Angels in the Outfield (1951) and as a prisoner in the 1953 film Stalag 17.
Every year, the Salata Family invite Mr. Irrelevant and his family for a week during the summer to Newport Beach, hosting a golf tournament, a regatta, and a trip to Disneyland, along with an event where advice is given to the new draftee.
Mr. Irrelevant is also awarded the Lowsman Trophy, a spoof of the Heisman Trophy, depicting a player fumbling a football.
“It runs in his family, brothers, friends; and his daughter and granddaughters [continue to run the event]—and as you can tell, it runs through the city of Newport Beach,” added Ireland. “All of us are here because of this [celebration], and because you’re Mr. Irrelevant, you just built a giant fan club in Southern California.”
Despite being considered an underdog in the NFL, Purdy was excited to participate in the activities.
“It’s a fun time to celebrate this week and all the festivities,” said the 22-year-old Purdy. “I get an opportunity to go play at the next level as a professional. When I get my opportunity, I’m gonna make the most of it.”
“I’m just like everyone else who’s trying to go make a living and go live out a dream, so [I'll] keep my head down, go to work, and just roll,” concluded Purdy.
Among the speakers who gave advice to Purdy was 69-year-old former L.A. Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
“It doesn’t matter where you draft,” said Ferragamo. “I’ve known guys who were stocking groceries, throwing touchdown passes in the Super Bowl. Guys drafted in the sixth round always play with a chip on your shoulder.”
“You’ve got something to prove. Go out every day to improve, be composed, and don’t get discouraged,” added Ferragamo. “Just put in the work. Be the first one in there and stick to the plan.”
“There was a great [quarterback] who was drafted in the sixth round, who always played with chip on his shoulder, Tom Brady, one of the best,” concluded Ferragamo. “You got the heart of a champion, and that’s all it takes. Good luck.”
Former 49ers center, Jesse Sapolu, is one of six 49ers to win four Super Bowls, (1984, 1988, 1989, 1994) and was a Pro Bowler in 1993 and 1994. Sapolu currently resides in Costa Mesa, Calif., and presented Purdy with a watch.
Sapolu was drafted in the 11th round as the 289th pick, and stated to Purdy that he had a chip on his shoulder for his 15-year career in San Francisco.
“There was a certain thing that we took pride in during that [championship] era, it is a standard,” explained Sapolu. “Everybody has a standard, but the standard that it takes for you to win has to be high enough to win the championship.”
“Once you become a champion, your life changes forever, and nobody can ever take that from you,” affirmed Sapolu.
Former Dallas Cowboy, and USC, quarterback Paul McDonald stated that he believes Purdy will succeed: “You play super smart. You process information, as evidenced by the [Newport Beach] trivia show, you get the ball out of your hand, and you got great pocket awareness.”
McDonald added that the thing that could limit Purdy is self-doubt: “Just trust the process, know that it’s not going to happen overnight, and play to your strengths,” added McDonald. “You’re gonna do fantastic!”
NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, sent a message read by McDonald to welcome Purdy to the league congratulating him as the 47th Mr. Irrelevant.
“If you endure Irrelevant week, it likely means that you have what it takes to handle everything that Coach Kyle Shenahan and the 49ers will throw at you at training camp.
“You are in the elite group of college players drafted by NFL teams and also part of the special Irrelevant fraternity. It is not where you are drafted that matters, but rather the rather the strength of your commitment to succeed that will make it in the NFL and beyond.
“We hope you enjoy your reign as Mr. Irrelevant, and wish you great success with the 49ers. My best to you and many friends in Orange County,” wrote Roger Goodell.
