Countdown to Irrelevant Week XXV

Richard Dunn

In the spirit of irrelevance, most facts can be disregarded. One

fact for Irrelevant Week 2000, however, is rather staggering.

For the first time in the 25-year history of Irrelevant Week, a player

has been selected from a school that has already produced a Mr.

Irrelevant.

There must be something in the water at Northwestern State (La.), where

the Demons have bred two last picks in the NFL draft, with free safety

Michael Green earning Mr. Irrelevant distinction this year after being

selected 254th by the Chicago Bears.

Of all the players from all the colleges in the country, what are the

odds of two players from an NCAA Division I-AA school getting chosen

absolutely dead last in the NFL draft?

In 1979, Northwestern State wide receiver Mike Almond was picked 334th by

the Pittsburgh Steelers and honored as Mr. Irrelevant IV. (Since then,

the NFL draft has been shortened to seven rounds.)

Almond, the first recipient of the Lowsman Trophy, caught 27 passes for

483 yards in his senior year for the Demons, but was less than thrilled

with his position in the draft.

“I had just about given up on being drafted,” Almond said on June 25,

1979, “and I had already started making plans to try out with a couple of

teams after I heard on the radio that the draft was in the 11th round.”

Taken in the 12th round by the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers,

Almond enjoyed an experience of a lifetime at Irrelevant Week IV.

So, who would win in a fantasy matchup between a ’79 Almond and a 2000

Green? The answer, of course, is irrelevant.

The silver anniversary edition of Irrelevant Week starts June 19 with an

Arrival Party at the Newport Dunes. Details: (949) 263-0727.