Edwin Horrell

September 29, 1902 – Edwin “Babe” Horrell was a former center from the University of California, Berkeley, who played during the seasons of 1922-1924.

According to information gathered from the National Football Foundation website, Babe Horrell was so good that his alma mater high school in Pasadena, California, named its football field after him, Horrell Field. Babe lettered in five different sports at the high school: football, basketball, track, swimming, and tennis. This well-rounded athlete translated to an outstanding collegiate career.

The Golden Bears had an undefeated 26-0-3 record in the three seasons that Horrell played on the team. Edwin was the Golden Bears captain and was voted as an All-American for the season of 1924. How influential can a center be in a game? Ask the 1923 Stanford University team about that, as Horrell blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown, then later sacked a Cardinal back in the end zone for a safety. The final score was 9-0!

After graduation, Babe became an assistant coach at UCLA for 12 seasons before taking over as the head coach in 1939 for an additional 5 seasons. The National Football Foundation voted Edwin Horrell into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1969.