 Charles in 1968 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Clive Michael Charles | ||
| Date of birth | (1951-10-03)3 October 1951 | ||
| Place of birth | Bow, London,London, England | ||
| Date of death | 26 August 2003(2003-08-26) (aged 51) | ||
| Place of death | Portland, Oregon, U.S.[1] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Clive Michael Charles (3 October 1951 – 26 August 2003) was an Englishfootball player, coach and television announcer. He was one of fiveNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coaches to win more than 400 games.[2]
Charles was born inBow and raised inCanning Town. Charles's father was a seaman fromGrenada and his mother a white woman fromSilvertown.[3] Charles began his career withWest Ham United, where his brotherJohn Charles played. In 1978, he began playing professionally in the United States with the NASLPortland Timbers. He spent the last years of his playing careerin the Major Indoor Soccer League, first with thePittsburgh Spirits, then with theLos Angeles Lazers.
Charles spent his later life in the United States, coaching at the high school, collegiate and international levels in thePortland, Oregon area, primarily atReynolds High School and theUniversity of Portland. In 2002, he coached the University of Portland's women's soccer team to the national championship. He also coached theUS Men's National Team to the semifinals of the2000 Summer Olympics, the farthest the US men had gone since 1904.[2] In 2001, he was diagnosed withprostate cancer, of which he died in 2003.
Clive Michael Charles was born on 3 October 1951 inBow, East London, England. Raised in nearbyCanning Town, he was the youngest of nine children.[4] His father was a merchant seaman originally fromGrenada and his mother a white woman fromSilvertown.[5] He grew up in a working-class neighbourhood playing street football.[4]
When he was 12 years old, Charles began playing with theWest Ham United youth teams and signed with the club as an apprentice when he turned 15. He would sign with West Ham as a full professional when he turned 17 and joined the first team in 1970 as adefender. However, West Ham was stocked with talent and Charles had difficulty finding playing time. In 1971 and 1972, he played two seasons on loan from West Ham with theMontreal Olympique of the now defunctNorth American Soccer League (NASL). While with Montreal, he met his future wife Clarena, then a flight attendant flying between Montreal and England.[6] He was also honoured as a second team NASLAll Star in both of his seasons in Montreal.[7] When playing time continued to elude Charles, West Ham loaned him to Second Division sideCardiff City for the last 8 games of the 1974 season. Even though Cardiff City were relegated to the Third Division, Charles chose to sign with the team and became its captain at the age of 23. Cardiff won promotion back to the Second Division in 1976. Charles finished his career with Cardiff City in 1978, playing over 100 games and scoring 5 goals.
In 1978, the NASLPortland Timbers bought Charles' contract from Cardiff City.[8] He remained with the Timbers through the 1981 outdoor season. However, injuries began to hamper Charles and in 1981, he played only 4 games with the Timbers and did not return to the team the next year. In addition to playing for the Timbers' outdoor team, Charles had played 9 games for the Timbers during the 1980–1981 NASL indoor season. His jersey, number 3, was retired by the Timbers after his death in 2003.[9] He was honoured by the Timbers during a game against theSeattle Sounders FC on 24 June 2012 by a largetifo held up by theTimbers Army prior to the start of the game.
At the end of the 1981 NASL season, Charles moved to the indoorPittsburgh Spirit and then theLos Angeles Lazers, both of theMajor Indoor Soccer League. He later admitted that "I hated it. But it paid the bills."[10] In 1982, he was playing with the Lazers when Jimmy Conway, a former Timbers teammate, called Charles and told him of an opening at theReynolds High School boys' soccer team inTroutdale, Oregon. He immediately retired from playing and moved his family back to Oregon.
Charles began his coaching as a young player in England, but he had no idea then the success coaching would bring to him. Charles remained with Reynolds High School for three years before theUniversity of Portland hired Charles as its men's soccer coach in 1986. In 1989, the university expanded his duties to include both the men's and women's teams. He would continue coaching the UP teams until his death. In his last season (2002), the UP women's team won theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship.[11] During his tenure as the men's coach, Charles had a hand in beginning the career of numerous outstanding future players, including Americanmen's internationalsKasey Keller,Steve Cherundolo, andConor Casey, Americanwomen's internationalsTiffeny Milbrett andShannon MacMillan, andCanadian internationalChristine Sinclair.[12] Other players includeYari Allnutt,Scott Benedetti,Kelly Gray,Nate Jaqua andWade Webber.
In 1986, Charles founded F.C. Portland, a local youth soccer club. The club fields numerous youth teams in local, state and national competitions.
Charles also spent several years as coach of theUS U23 men's national team, culminating with the2000 Summer Olympics. During this period, Charles was battlingprostate cancer, but continued to coach the US and achieved a fourth-place finish in the games, their best finish at the Olympics in almost a century.[13][14] He retired from coaching the U23 team after the Olympics with a record of 23–11–13 (.628). He also coached the team to a bronze medal at the1999 Pan American Games and third place at the1997 World University Games. He also served as an assistant coach of theUnited States men's (senior) national soccer team in the1998 World Cup.
In 1994, he worked as an announcer forESPN during the1994 FIFA World Cup.[15]
Charles was first diagnosed withprostate cancer in 2000,[2] and underwent weeklychemotherapy treatments to treat the disease.[2] He ultimately died of the cancer on 26 August 2003 in Portland.[16][13] He was inducted into theOregon Sports Hall of Fame that same year.[16][2] He is interred atMount Calvary Cemetery in Portland.
