Clive Charles facts for kids
Charles in 1968
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clive Michael Charles | ||
| Date of birth | 3 October 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Dagenham, Essex, England | ||
| Date of death | 26 August 2003 (aged 51) | ||
| Place of death | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1970–1973 | West Ham United | 14 | (0) |
| 1971–1972 | → Montreal Olympique (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 1974–1977 | Cardiff City | 77 | (5) |
| 1978–1981 | Portland Timbers | 67 | (0) |
| 1980–1981 | Portland Timbers (indoor) | 9 | (7) |
| 1981–1982 | Pittsburgh Spirit (indoor) | 26 | (10) |
| 1982–1983 | Los Angeles Lazers (indoor) | 33 | (5) |
| Total | 254 | (27) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1982–1985 | Reynolds High School | ||
| 1986–2003 | University of Portland men's team | ||
| 1989–2003 | University of Portland women's team | ||
| 1993–1995 | United States U20 (women) | ||
| 1996–2000 | United States U23 | ||
| 1995–1998 | United States (assistant) | ||
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Clive Michael Charles (born October 3, 1951 – died August 26, 2003) was a talented English football player and coach. He was also a television announcer. Clive was one of only five coaches in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to win over 400 games. This shows how successful he was!
Clive was born in Dagenham, England. His parents were immigrants from Grenada. He started his football journey with West Ham United. His brother, John Charles, also played there. In 1978, Clive moved to the United States. He played professionally for the Portland Timbers in the NASL. Later, he played indoor football in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He played for the Pittsburgh Spirit and then the Los Angeles Lazers.
Clive spent his later life in the United States. He coached football at different levels in Portland, Oregon. He coached at Reynolds High School and the University of Portland. In 2002, he led the University of Portland's women's soccer team to a national championship. He also coached the US Men's Under-23 National Team. They reached the semifinals of the 2000 Summer Olympics. In 2001, Clive was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He sadly passed away from it in 2003.
Contents
Clive Charles: Early Life
Clive Michael Charles was born on October 3, 1951. He was the youngest of nine children. His father was a sailor from Grenada. Clive grew up in a working-class area. He loved playing street football with his friends.
Clive Charles: Playing Career
When Clive was 12, he joined the youth teams at West Ham United. He signed with the club as an apprentice at 15. At 17, he became a full professional player. He joined West Ham's main team in 1970 as a defender.
West Ham had many skilled players. This made it hard for Clive to get much playing time. In 1971 and 1972, he played for Montreal Olympique. This was a team in the North American Soccer League (NASL). He was on loan from West Ham. In Montreal, he met his future wife, Clarena. She was a flight attendant. Clive was named a second-team NASL All Star in both seasons he played in Montreal.
Clive still struggled to get playing time at West Ham. So, they loaned him to Cardiff City in 1974. Cardiff City was in the Second Division. Even though Cardiff City moved down to the Third Division, Clive decided to sign with them. He became their captain at just 23 years old. Cardiff won promotion back to the Second Division in 1976. Clive played over 100 games for Cardiff City. He scored 5 goals before leaving in 1978.
In 1978, the Portland Timbers of the NASL bought Clive's contract. He played for the Timbers until the 1981 outdoor season. Injuries started to affect him. In 1981, he only played 4 games. He did not return to the team the next year. Clive also played 9 indoor games for the Timbers in 1980–1981. After his death in 2003, the Timbers retired his jersey number, 3. The Timbers Army, a group of fans, honored him in 2012. They held up a large tifo (a big banner) before a game.
After the 1981 NASL season, Clive moved to indoor football. He played for the Pittsburgh Spirit and then the Los Angeles Lazers. Both teams were in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He later said he "hated it" but it "paid the bills." In 1982, a former teammate, Jimmy Conway, told Clive about a coaching job. It was for the boys' soccer team at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon. Clive immediately stopped playing and moved his family back to Oregon.
Clive Charles: Coaching Success
Clive started coaching when he was a young player in England. He probably didn't know then how much success he would have as a coach! He coached at Reynolds High School for three years. Then, in 1986, the University of Portland hired him. He became their men's soccer coach. In 1989, he also started coaching the university's women's team. He coached both teams until he passed away.
In his last season (2002), Clive led the University of Portland women's team to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. As a coach, Clive helped many future football stars. Some famous players he coached include:
- Kasey Keller and Steve Cherundolo (US men's national team)
- Tiffeny Milbrett and Shannon MacMillan (US women's national team)
- Christine Sinclair (Canadian women's national team)
Other great players he coached were Yari Allnutt, Scott Benedetti, Conor Casey, Kelly Gray, Nate Jaqua, and Wade Webber.
In 1986, Clive also started F.C. Portland. This is a local youth soccer club. It has many youth teams that play in different competitions.
Clive also spent several years coaching the US Under-23 men's national team. This led to him coaching at the 2000 Summer Olympics. During this time, Clive was battling prostate cancer. But he kept coaching the US team. They finished in fourth place at the Olympics. After the Olympics, he stopped coaching the U23 team. He had a great record of 23 wins, 11 losses, and 13 ties. He also coached the team to a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American Games. They also got third place at the 1997 World University Games. Clive was also an assistant coach for the United States men's national soccer team in the 1998 World Cup.
In 1994, Clive worked as an announcer for ESPN. This was during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Clive Charles: His Passing
Clive was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000. He received weekly treatments for his illness. Sadly, he passed away from the cancer on August 26, 2003, in Portland. That same year, he was honored and inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Portland.
See also
- Merlo Field
