SAN DIEGO — Mike Curren, nicknamed the “godfather” of San Diego’s annual Over-The-Line tournament, died Friday at age 92.

Curren died at his home in South Mission Beach.

Curren was a founding member of Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC), which puts on the beach softball showcase at Fiesta Island. This past summer’s tournament was the 69th annual event.

“He loved all things OMBAC and Mission Beach,” the club said on its Facebook page. “He will be missed dearly.”

This year, the City of San Diego proclaimed July 9 as Mike Curren Day to recognize the 92-year-old’s contributions to the organization.

Curren and his band of misfit “beach rats,” as he liked to call them, started playing over-the-line while waiting for volleyball courts to open up in the late 1940s.

“I’ve still got the moves but not the speed,” Curren told FOX 5 in a July interview.

Nearly 70 years later, the legendary tournament welcomes upwards of 50,000 people from across the country. This summer, over 700 teams signed up for the two-weekend tournament.

Curren’s name has people in South Mission Beach reminiscing, with people expressing how much of a legacy he was and how loved he was.

People are honoring the creator of the popular Over-The-Line sport the best way they know how, through stories.

“Mike was the funniest guy on the planet,” said Scott Lane, an OMBAC member.

Tim Crabtree, a San Diego resident, added “he (was) just somebody you can’t describe, he was always willing to help people.”

“He was big on having fun and not taking life too seriously,” said Jeff Johnson, an OMBAC member. “He literally embodied the spirit of the beach, and beach culture, living a good life.”

A founding member of the OMBAC, Curren started the Over-The-Line Tournament in 1953.

Curren earned the San Diego Mayor’s proclamation for July 9^th as Mike Curren Day at the July 2022 tournament.

“When you had a room full of 40, 50, 60-year-old guys arguing about how something was going to go down, he could just walk into the room, kind of wave his hand and whatever he said, that’s how it’s going to be,” Johnson said.

Curren was known to make a big presence.

“Believe it or not we shut the road down here 15 years ago because he decided we needed a parade,” Crabtree explained.

“Never happened before, they closed the entire Mission Boulevard for the birthday party and other things, it was amazing,” Lane said.

At 92 years old, Curren was dubbed the unofficial mayor of South Mission Beach, who lived a life of service and who brought people together.

“He was never judgmental no matter who you were, it was having a good time. This is the beach,” Lane explained.

Now a beach community is mourning.

“Walked out here and I saw this, knew he was struggling, but found out it was the final moments,” Lane said.

“San Diego lost an icon, and it’s an absolute shame, but god bless him he deserves everything he gets,” Crabtree said.

“I miss Mike,” Lane said.

Curren’s legacy will transcend further as the OMBAC will continue his legacy at their 70^th annual Over-The-Line Tournament in July of 2023.