Paul Thomas Salata (October 17, 1926 – October 16, 2021) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL),

All-America Football Conference The All-America Football Conference (AAFC) was a major professional American football league that challenged the established National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1949. One of the NFL's most formidable challengers, the AAFC attracted many ...

(AAFC) and

Western Interprovincial Football Union The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), its counterpart being the East Division. With a few exceptions, a senior men's football championship has been contested in Western Canada since 1911 ...

(WIFU).

Biography

Paul Salata was born to a Serbian-born father and second generation Serbian-American mother. After his

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

days at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

Salata played for the AAFC/NFL's

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

(1949–1950) and the AAFC/NFL's

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

(1950). After the Colts franchise folded in 1950, he was declared draft-eligible and was subsequently drafted in the tenth round of the 1951 NFL draft by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He scored the 49ers final touchdown in the All-American Football Conference, as well as the team's first TD in the NFL. He also played in the CFL, including with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

in 1952 and the

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

in 1953. In later years, Salata became known for his creation in 1976 of the Mr. Irrelevant Award, awarded annually to the last overall pick in the year's

NFL Draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

.Beth Harris
"Paul Salata, Creator of Mr. Irrelevant Award, Dies at 94,"
''Los Angeles Times,'' Oct. 16, 2021. After retiring from football, he joined his family's Southern California construction business. He has also acted in a number of Hollywood movies. He played Tony Minelli in '' Angels in the Outfield'' (1951) and appeared, uncredited, in the 1953 film '' Stalag 17'' as a prisoner. Salata died on October 16, 2021, one day before his 95th birthday. He is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park.

References

1926 births 2021 deaths American football ends Baltimore Colts (1947–1950) players Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park Calgary Stampeders players Ottawa Rough Riders players San Francisco 49ers players USC Trojans baseball players USC Trojans football players Players of American football from Los Angeles American people of Serbian descent Male actors from Los Angeles Players of Canadian football from Los Angeles {{widereceiver-1920s-stub