Born in West Los Angeles and the son of a UCLA head football coach, Steve Horrell cemented his own unforgettable legacy just south in San Diego County. His wide-ranging leaderships roles, predominately in the local golf space, prompted the Union Tribune in 2016 to describe Horrell as “one of the most influential figures in San Diego sports history.” 

Despite playing volleyball at Stanford and not taking up golf until after graduation, Horrell began to earn his eventual affectionate moniker of “Mr. Golf” when he followed his dad into the family business at Singing Hills Golf Resort. Horrell would work his way up to Co-General Manager where he helped his property win the hosting privileges for the PGA Tour’s 1956 San Diego Open. 

Horrell served as tournament chairman for the San Diego Open during its first years at Torrey Pines Golf Course and lured singer Andy Williams as its celebrity host. He was also a co-founder of the Century Club, chairman of the USGA Junior Championship Committee and was the first-ever San Diegan to serve on the USGA’s Executive Committee. Horrell was a key leader in bringing the 2008 U.S. Open to Torrey Pines.

Horrell was a mainstay on nearly every sports board and committee in San Diego including Super Bowls, Holiday Bowls, San Diego Junior Golf and the Friends of Torrey Pines. American sports icon, Jim Brown said of Horrell, “He was involved in anything that was worthwhile in this town.”

A 10-year member of the SCGA Board of Directors, Horrell also served as the Association’s President in 1977. He is a Lynn Smith Award winner, an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Southern California PGA, and a member of the SDJGA Hall of Fame.

Off the golf course, Horrell was a member of the Kiwanis Club of San Diego, past Director of the Greater San Diego Sports Association (now the San Diego International Sports Council), past Director of the Holiday Bowl where he was president and chairman in 1993, past Board of Director for Grossmont Hospital, and served on the Executive Committee of San Diego Hospital Association from 1997 to 2003.