A Rolls Royce was ready. The parade route had been mapped out. A press conference was scheduled.
Suddenly, the phone rang in Paul Salata's office in Newport Beach, Calif. It was June 1976, and Kelvin Kirk, a wide receiver from the University of Dayton, was calling to say he had missed his flight to California and would be several hours late.
What was Salata to do? The businessman and former pro wide receiver had scheduled an elaborate ceremony to honor the last player taken in the NFL draft, dubbing him "Mr. Irrelevant," and now his first guest of honor wouldn't arrive on time.