Ryan Succop

There they were last year, the pride of Hickory, North Carolina: the popular comedian nailing the punch lines, a retired race-car driver laughing with a sense of bittersweetness along with an up-and-coming kicker who would somehow become irrelevant. The scene unfolded, as Jon Reep, who likes to joke about his hometown, tried to give his best set for his buddy Dale Jarrett of NASCAR fame and his friend Ryan Succop, now known as Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV. Reep delivered the goods that night last year at Jarrett’s retirement party.

NEWPORT BEACH — At 4:15 a.m. Monday in Columbia, S.C., Bill Tindall woke up his son, Matthew, by telling him, “Wake up. Go get in the shower. We’re going on a trip.” Matthew, an 11-year-old, didn’t know where he was going. He had been told by his friend, Ryan Succop, that Irrelevant Week was postponed to next month so Matthew thought the trip had nothing to do with that. But later in the day, Matthew caught on to the surprise. He realized he was going to Newport Beach to be among 11 of Succop’s family members and friends to watch the Kansas City Chiefs kicker be celebrated as Mr. Irrelevant.

NEWPORT BEACH — A kicker rarely gets a huge party thrown for him. Such a celebration is reserved for when he kicks the game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl. Newport Beach disagreed Monday. Hundreds of people at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort celebrated the arrival of a kicker named Ryan Succop, aka Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV, the last player chosen in the NFL Draft. Succop has never kicked in the NFL but is trying to earn a chance. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Succop as the 256th pick in April.

Ryan Succop will always be known as Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV. But in the NFL, especially recently, he has become far from irrelevant. Succop, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker, has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in Week 15 of the 2011 NFL regular season. The award is Succop's second Special Teams Player of the Week accolade in 2011. Succop was four for four on field goal attempts with a PAT, tallying 13 points en route to a 19-14 victory against the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.

Ryan Succop is a smart kicker. The 22-year-old prefers to kick footballs through uprights, not himself. The last player chosen in the NFL Draft said Thursday he?s close to signing a contract worth up to $1.2 million with the Kansas City Chiefs, but Succop hasn?t thought about spending a dime. ?That money is not guaranteed,? said Succop, clearly understanding nothing is when you?re the 256th player taken in last April?s draft. Plus, he?s a kicker. ?You still have to make the team.

When Ryan Succop spent Irrelevant Week in Orange County this past summer, I noticed a quiet confidence about him. There were other hints he provided during the week that he could be a special pro. Now we’re starting to see that it’s true. Just 10 games into his NFL career, Succop capped a dramatic victory by nailing a field goal. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker, known to us as Mr. Irrelevant, became the complete opposite of that nickname. Though it was not a field goal from distance, it was a significant game-winner nonetheless.

NEWPORT BEACH — Rowers led a future NFL player to his party Monday. In the background, a drum beat more appropriate for a powwow played. Girls dressed in Pocahontas outfits waited for the player to arrive on the sand. An old woman chanted “Suck-up! Suck-up!” while clapping. The player’s name is Ryan Succop. “Suck-up” is the correct way to pronounce his last name. Succop never wore the headdress onboard because he isn’t totally a Kansas City Chief yet. Chief “Suck-up” just doesn’t sound right.

Kansas City rookie kicker Ryan Succop, a.k.a. Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV, earned the Mack Lee Hill Award, which is presented by the Chiefs. The Chiefs players voted on the award winner. Succop will be honored and presented the award at the team’s 40th annual 101 Banquet March 6. The Mack Lee Hill Award is presented each year to the Chiefs’ rookie or first-year player who best exemplifies the spirit of the late Mack Lee Hill, who passed away during his second season with the Chiefs in 1965.

NEWPORT BEACH — An inflatable goal post stood on every table, where some thought about flicking pieces of food through the uprights. Out of respect for Ryan Succop, they behaved Wednesday night. Leave it to the man of the hour for accuracy. Succop is a kicker trying to make it in the NFL, but everyone got a kick out of him. The last player selected in April’s NFL Draft was the butt of practically every joke at the All-Star Lowsman Banquet at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. The agent negotiating Succop’s three-year, $1.2 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs failed to back up Succop Wednesday.

Ryan Succop will always be known as Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV. But in the NFL, especially recently, he has become far from irrelevant. Succop, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker, has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in Week 15 of the 2011 NFL regular season. The award is Succop's second Special Teams Player of the Week accolade in 2011. Succop was four for four on field goal attempts with a PAT, tallying 13 points en route to a 19-14 victory against the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.

Kansas City rookie kicker Ryan Succop, a.k.a. Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV, earned the Mack Lee Hill Award, which is presented by the Chiefs. The Chiefs players voted on the award winner. Succop will be honored and presented the award at the team’s 40th annual 101 Banquet March 6. The Mack Lee Hill Award is presented each year to the Chiefs’ rookie or first-year player who best exemplifies the spirit of the late Mack Lee Hill, who passed away during his second season with the Chiefs in 1965.

When Ryan Succop spent Irrelevant Week in Orange County this past summer, I noticed a quiet confidence about him. There were other hints he provided during the week that he could be a special pro. Now we’re starting to see that it’s true. Just 10 games into his NFL career, Succop capped a dramatic victory by nailing a field goal. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker, known to us as Mr. Irrelevant, became the complete opposite of that nickname. Though it was not a field goal from distance, it was a significant game-winner nonetheless.

Ryan Succop will surely be irrelevant once again in an NFL preseason game Friday. Nevertheless Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV, a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, will be a part of the hoopla when Brett Favre plays his first game in a Vikings uniform at Minnesota at 5 p.m. While most eyes will be on Favre, the quarterback who once again came out of retirement Tuesday, many Chiefs fans will still be rooting for their kicker. Succop, who was roasted and toasted in Newport Beach in June, is coming closer to securing a roster spot.

No one kicked kicker Ryan Succop out of Newport Beach. The most celebrated kicker probably since Lou “The Toe” Groza had to leave for the NFL Rookie Symposium in Florida. The four-day trip won’t be as fun as the four days spent under the nickname Mr. Irrelevant. Succop hasn’t come close to reaching the Hall of Fame status of Groza, a member of the NFL’s 1950s All-Decade Team. Somehow, Succop managed to have people throw him a legendary party for almost every day out of the week.

NEWPORT BEACH — Ryan Succop had the beach all to himself. The clouds kept the beachgoers away Thursday morning. Succop tried to clear the clouds away with his right foot. With only a handful of people around, Succop had time to do what he does best — kick. He kicked a football, not the sand. Weird but true. Most toss around a football at the beach. Not boot one high enough to reach the sun. You’re supposed to kick back at the beach, not kick a football.

NEWPORT BEACH — An inflatable goal post stood on every table, where some thought about flicking pieces of food through the uprights. Out of respect for Ryan Succop, they behaved Wednesday night. Leave it to the man of the hour for accuracy. Succop is a kicker trying to make it in the NFL, but everyone got a kick out of him. The last player selected in April’s NFL Draft was the butt of practically every joke at the All-Star Lowsman Banquet at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa. The agent negotiating Succop’s three-year, $1.2 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs failed to back up Succop Wednesday.

It was 10 years ago when Jim Finn sat in the same seat as Ryan Succop Wednesday night at the All-Star Lowsman Banquet. Finn said he took in all of the jokes as being Mr. Irrelevant XXIV and actually used it as motivation to help him launch a career in the NFL. He played as a fullback for eight seasons, four with the New York Giants, the team he loved as a kid. He was drafted with the final pick in the NFL Draft in 1999 by the Chicago Bears....

ANAHEIM — Five summers ago, Ryan Succop was an hour’s drive from Disneyland. Traffic didn’t keep him away, kicking did. In the morning, Succop kicked, followed up by more kicking in the afternoon. Sometimes at night, Succop kicked. Back then at a high school camp for kickers, Succop pictured kicking in the NFL. He’s getting closer. Disneyland somehow worked its way into Succop’s plan. In his second visit to California, Succop arrived at the so-called “Happiest Place on Earth.