Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson likes to describe himself as an “athlete for life;” a perfectly succinct and accurate description for someone who has been an active and successful athlete since the 1940’s. Nelson began his athletic career as a Phoenix Youth Hurdle champion and as a Santa Barbara Speed Golf Champion in the 1940’s and 1950’s and has enjoyed success in a variety of athletic endeavors on many different levels ever since.

A star basketball player at San Marcos High School, Nelson’s best season saw the Royals go 25-4 and earn a berth in the CIF Semifinals. Legendary San Marcos basketball head coach Maury Halleck, himself a Santa Barbara Athletics Roundtable Hall of Famer, called Nelson “his greatest leader,” a title that brings pride to Nelson considering Halleck was a highly successful coach during his 23-year stint at San Marcos. While playing for San Marcos, Nelson set a record for shooting accuracy.

After graduating from San Marcos, Nelson attended Cal Poly where he was a rare two-sport athlete, competing in baseball and basketball from 1967-1969 while also starting his path to become a successful attorney. Nelson transferred from Cal Poly to UC Santa Barbara where he earned a B.A. in Political Science. He would go on to UC Hastings College of the Law where he would earn his Juris Doctor degree.

Despite his dedication to academics and law, Nelson still maintained an active and successful athletic career. He took up golf late in life and refined his game enough to become a two-handicap golfer. He played in the LA Open Tour Qualifier and USGA Amateur events as well.

Nelson credits his passion and attention to detail for his wide-ranging success and recognizes that deferred gratification and emotional intelligence leads to joy, not drudgery, in practicing and doing the small things that make a difference. A cancer survivor of over 30 years, Nelson takes on challenges with vision, persistence and creativity.

Nelson has passed down his love of athletics to his children, Jason and Whitney. He is proud of the fact that both Jason and Whitney, along with himself, have won “Most Inspirational” Awards at one point in their athletic careers.

A resident of Santa Barbara along with his wife Dottie, Nelson is the CEO of The Oak Creek Company and is the founder of The Nelson Law Firm. He has served on the UCSB Athletic Committee and the UCSB Intercollegiate Athletics Policy Board. He has won a case in the California Supreme Court and has been listed in the Who’s Who Top Attorneys in North America. He has also initiated over $300 million in local housing communities.