Paul Salata
| File:Salata-Paul-1949.jpg Salata in 1949 | |||||||||
| No. 22, 55, 51, 86, 75 | |||||||||
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| Position | End | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | October 17, 1926 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | October 16, 2021 (aged 94) Newport Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Los Angeles (CA) Franklin | ||||||||
| College | USC | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1951: 10th round, 118th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL/AAFC statistics | |||||||||
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| Coaching profile at Pro Football ReferenceLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |||||||||
Paul Thomas Salata (October 17, 1926 – October 16, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and Western Interprovincial Football Union (WIFU).
Biography
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Paul Salata was born to a Serbian-born father and second generation Serbian-American mother. After his college football days at USC[1] Salata played for the AAFC/NFL's San Francisco 49ers (1949–1950) and the AAFC/NFL's Baltimore Colts (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. He scored the 49ers final touchdown in the All-American Football Conference, as well as the team's first TD in the NFL.[2] He also played in the CFL, including with the Calgary Stampeders in 1952 and the Ottawa Rough Riders 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.[3] After retiring from football, he joined his family's Southern California construction business.[1] He has also acted in a number of Hollywood movies.[4] 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.[3] He is buried at Pacific View Memorial Park.[5]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Beth Harris, "Paul Salata, Creator of Mr. Irrelevant Award, Dies at 94," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 2021.
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- 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
- American football wide receiver, pre-1940 birth stubs