He’s not so irrelevant after all

Coral Wilson

Selected last in the NFL draft, Ryan Hoag may be considered

irrelevant by some, but in the eyes of the Pegasus School students,

he is No. 1.

Hoag earned the title Mr. Irrelevant XXVIII -- a Newport Beach

Irrelevant Week tradition, in which the last college football player

selected in the NFL draft is honored with a week of festivities

organized on his behalf. Hoag, a last choice for the Oakland Raiders’

at quarterback and No. 262 in the NFL draft, thereby became the star

of the community.

To become a professional football player may be a dream come true

for many, but Hoag said his ultimate goal is to be a first-grade

teacher. So in between Miss Irrelevant contests and tailgate parties,

Hoag stopped by the Camp Pegasus sports camp for a mini-NFL training.

Followed closely by a group of friends, Colin Shaffer, 10, was

first in line to greet Hoag with wide eyes and a firm handshake.

“Are you guys like real quarterbacks?” Colin asked.

Hoag marched onto the field, accompanied by Tampa Bay Buccaneers

quarterback Brett Johnson and quarterback Marty Mikkelsen who came to

help out.

“Have you scored any touchdowns?” Dylan Hunt, 10, asked.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Hoag glanced casually at his pint-size

admirers.

“Not yet,” Hoag answered. “I’m just a rookie.”

The campers and professional quarterbacks warmed up by jogging

forward, backward, side shuffling and taking big steps back and forth

across the field. The children began huffing, puffing and panting.

But they were still smiling.

Next, Hoag joined the line for some practice passing and

receiving. As the children tripped over missed balls, Hoag showed off

with a one-handed catch.

Returning to the line with a grin and high-fives, he was met with

looks of amazement before the children turned away shyly.

“It was weird to have an actual football player in sight,” Colin

said. “I never met an actual football player before.”

Marie Fitch, grand-daughter of Paul Salata, the founder of

Irrelevant Week, said she has met all of the Mr. Irrelevants and Hoag

is her favorite.

“He is really nice and he likes kids a lot,” Marie, 9, said. “He’s

always really playful. Usually all the rest of the Mr. Irrelevants

are very serious.”

The activities on the field came to a finale as the children took

turns testing their skills by covering Hoag in groups of three. The

children were no match for Hoag who dodged them swiftly and with

ease. Then one group received loud cheers when they succeeded in

getting the ball. And when Hoag was confronted by three girls, he

fell dramatically at Annie Capaldi’s feet.

“I just touched him,” Annie, 9, said afterward. “I think he fell

on purpose.”

The NFL training was over within half an hour, all too soon for

the campers who were just getting started.

“Keep on playing,” Hoag said to the children. “Keep working hard.

Keep that confidence.”

The children lined up for a last glimpse and an autographed

picture to remember Hoag forever.

“It’s great to be around kids and to see that I can have a

positive influence as an athlete and as a teacher,” Hoag said.

The children bid him goodbye and good luck. The new Raider’s fans

would be watching and rooting for Hoag on TV.

“I hope you score some touchdowns,” Dylan said.