The most important figure in the history of soccer in Oregon, Clive Charles (October 3, 1951 – August 26, 2003) was a combination of humble leadership and excellence.
Charles was just another East End kid in London who signed early with the West Ham club. He got a taste of North American soccer with the NASL in Montreal, then had a successful run with Cardiff in Wales, leading the club to move up a division. That got the attention of the Portland Timbers. Clive joined the team in 1978 and played three seasons for both the outdoor and indoor versions of the club. He became close with Irish teammate Jimmy Conway. After the first edition of the Timbers folded, Clive and Jimmy were roommates, pondering their soccer future. It was Conway that alerted Charles to a coaching opportunity at Reynolds High School.
That opened the door to the University of Portland in 1986. Charles went to work, establishing FC Portland and finding players that matched opportunities. The UP men advanced to NCAA postseason for the first time in 1988 with Kasey Keller in goal. Clive coached the men for 17 seasons then took on launching a women's program in 1989. The women's program missed post-season only once between 1992 and 2002. Clive's last season was capped by the school's first College Cup national championship.
Clive's combined success at UP is staggering. 439 total coaching victories, 13 conference championships, 20 NCAA playoff berths and 7 Final Four (now College Cup) appearances.
He has been named Far West Region Coach of the Year four times and Conference Coach of the Year seven times. Under Coach Clive’s leadership, 28 UP athletes attained All-America status. In the history of collegiate soccer, he is only the second coach to have two teams, in the same year, competing in the NCAA semifinals.
Charles expanded his coaching reach with US National teams, both men's and women’s. He served as U.S. Men’s National Team assistant coach in 1995, U.S. Men’s Olympic Team coach in 1996, and head coach of the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team in from 1993 to 1996.
Charles also lent his expertise to commentary, announcing the 1994 World Cup matches from Los Angeles and serving as the first color commentator for the Portland Timbers USL team in 1999.
Clive Charles #3 was retired by the Portland Timbers and his name is on the team's Ring of Honor at Providence Park. He is a member of the University of Portland Athletics Hall of Fame and the Clive Charles soccer complex at UP is named in his honor.