NEWS

Daniel Healy passed away Thursday, January 30, after a long and courageous battle with cancer at the age of 76. Born in Chicago, Illinois, in September 1948, Healy was a third-generation polo player who grew up around his family’s polo farm. He joined the USPA in 1963, starting in lower-goal polo before stepping up to 16-goal in his teens, where he had the opportunity to play alongside some of the greatest players in the country. Later, while attending boarding school in Scottsdale, Arizona, his dad would fly him to Eldorado Polo Club in Indio, California, on long weekends to play polo. He once said those were some of his best memories in the sport.

Healy went on to earn a 6-goal indoor handicap and a 4-goal outdoor handicap. He won the National Arena Chairman’s Cup with Gone Away Farm in 1975 and the U.S. Open Arena Polo Championship with Burbank Pet in 1986. He never imagined a career in the sport and was working in California when he was drafted. After serving in the Army for two years, Healy worked in the Washington D.C. Metro for seven years. While there, he played polo at Potomac Polo Club in nearby Maryland, when time allowed. Later, working for his grandfather's construction company, S.A. Healy Co., he traveled coast to coast.

When Healy was 37, he was in California and decided to attend a pro polo match at the LA Equestrian Center in Burbank. While there he ran into polo friends from his days in Oak Brook, Illinois. Soon after, he was hired as Club Manager and Head Instructor for the center, growing the polo school to over 100 students. From there, he started a polo school and polo vacation business with Mike Dailey in Hawaii. Later, he managed Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in Carpinteria, California, and Santa Fe Polo Club (Santa Fe, New Mexico). In between, he played professionally and gave polo clinics.

Healy joined USPA Umpires, LLC in 1993. He implemented umpire programs at Eldorado and neighboring Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Players attended classes once a week and had the opportunity to be paid to umpire, with paths to grow and advance within the umpire program. His efforts were very successful, resulting in many players becoming certified umpires.

Healy was recognized with Regional Umpire Awards in 1990 and 1994. He also received Arena Umpire of the Year in 1994 and Umpire of the Year in 1995. In 1997, Healy became a full-time professional umpire and instructor, reaching an A rating, qualifying him to umpire some the highest levels of the sport. Still, Healy enjoyed sharing his wealth of rules knowledge with others, spending well over the last decade as a professional umpire at small clubs throughout the country.

In an interview Healy said, “I enjoy going to different places. I’d go back to the same clubs quite a bit over the years because they ask … if they can get me again. That is the greatest compliment.” In 2022, after nearly 30 years of commitment to the umpire program, Healy announced his retirement. “I couldn’t have done it for all these years if I didn’t enjoy it. I love working with my fellow umpires, too,” he said. “I enjoyed the camaraderie and the feedback, the back and forth between our umpires.” He also enjoyed traveling, visiting new towns, conducting rules reviews before tournaments and spending time with the local players.

Outside of the sport, Healy was a lifelong angler and had his captain’s license. Over the years, he ran charters out of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Hawaii, and worked on a charter boat in Florida. He also competed in fishing tournaments, winning with an 84.5-pound white marlin in the 1975 White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland, and with a 23.75-pound dolphin fish at the same tournament in 1979.

Healy is survived by his wife of 17 years, Kathi Healy; daughter Cece Webb (Chris); son Ryan Healy (Mel); grandchildren Jackson, Brody and Hurley Webb, Hunter Healy, and Everett and Veronica George; and sisters Sharon Steinbarth (Rich) and Mary Schueler.