by Brennan Burns
Soccer City USA.
This nickname was bestowed on Portland three years prior to Jimmy Conway’s arrival to the city as a Timbers winger in 1978, but the moniker might not have endured were it not for his decision to stay on in Portland following the folding of the NASL franchise in 1982.
As one of many young players growing up idolizing Conway and the Timbers, the NASL’s demise meant the brief childhood dream of a potential professional career was mostly snuffed out before it could begin.
The fact that the club’s mostly dormant existence over the next two decades didn’t diminish the passion sparked by Conway and others is a testament to their commitment to not only make Portland home, but to do their part to share the sport that brought them to these shores.
Conway was not the only former Timber to plant roots here. Fellow players Mick Hoban, Willie Anderson, Clive Charles, Bill Irwin, Tony Betts, Jimmy Kelly, John Bain, and Bernie Fagan all left their marks on their adopted city by helping to grow and promote the game in Oregon and beyond, long past their playing days.
The former Timbers suddenly left without jobs in 1982 were faced with limited prospects, particularly playing-wise. Indoor soccer leagues provided potential options for some, but the diminishing salaries and lesser resources meant soccer as a full-time profession in the United States became financially unfeasible, much less so if you were trying to raise a family.
For Conway and his now former teammates, staying in Portland meant finding another way to fund their long term living here across the pond.
Many chose coaching as a profession, picking up paying gigs a la Charles and Irwin at the University of Portland, Fagan at Warner Pacific, or Betts coaching the likes of this writer in the Olympic Development program. Conway would chart a similar path as a head coach at Pacific University and Oregon State.
Even for those successfully navigating the coaching route, the salary was typically not lucrative enough to sustain a living without supplemental income. Most held day jobs, ran soccer camps, or coached (or founded) private youth clubs or high schools to help make ends meet.
While the wealth of knowledge these once professionals shared on the pitch with the next generation of players was invaluable, what stands out in Conway’s achievements from his counterparts is the lasting impact his organizational skill brought to youth development, from the recreational to the most competitive levels across the state and surrounding region.
When my older brother Ian and I started kicking a ball in the late seventies, we were initially coached by the most common of volunteers, our father. Being a Chicago Bears fan didn’t exactly prepare him for teaching soccer fundamentals, but the exposure to Conway and company meant novice parent coaches possessed expert guides to learning the game.
The reach of a handful of former pros could only directly extend so far, so Conway’s establishment of coaching credentialing programs and the youth development setup via his leadership tenure at the Oregon Youth Soccer Association paved the way for the profound success the current Timbers enjoy, right down to the academy structure and feeder clubs that foster the advancement of youth players today.
In the absence of an actual club, the collective efforts of Conway and his fellow NASL Timbers maintained the connection with the community in those intervening years. Their continued presence opened the door for so many to play at a higher level, and spurred the desire and interest of countless crops of players and families often new to the sport.
That inspiration and shared love of the game encouraged my brother and I to continue playing competitively into college in the early nineties. My elder sibling’s spell as a Beaver under Conway’s tutelage ended several years before a truly tangible professional opportunity in the US, much less Portland, would again present itself.
While several local standouts managed to carve out professional playing careers (Scott Benedetti, Chris Brown, and Andrew Gregor come to mind), the odds were stacked against them with opportunities limited and long shots at best.
After Major League Soccer kicked off its inaugural campaign in 1996, it would still be another five years before the Timbers would be resurrected in the second division in 2001, when the city once again had a team to support and fans could congregate and celebrate the beautiful game. While the play on the field didn’t exactly match the quality of the Premier League, ‘Thirsty Thursday’ pint prices often helped improve that level in the eyes of the beer holders.
Although the city was without a club to root for during most of the eighties and nineties, the Timbers name never died in the hearts of locals, and was reignited as the Timbers Army grew from a few people with pickle buckets to a stadium sellouts that led to the club’s promotion to MLS ten years later.
That rebirth also meant that Soccer City USA wasn’t just a bumper sticker from our childhood, but a mutual identity synonymous with the Timbers that connected the club and city across eras.
As the club was awarded an MLS franchise in 2009, the irony that Conway’s diagnosis of trauma-induced dementia coincided that same year was not lost on this longtime admirer of the man and the club, city, and sport he represented.
Conway passed away with the exploits of the more modern Timbers perhaps not readily recollectable in his mind, however his impact is forever etched into the fabric of the club.
While my connection to his coaching was at arm’s length and memories of his playing days grow fainter over time, there was never a doubt to his importance and influence.
Conway’s legacy as a bond between past and present is something we can all cherish, long after this legend left us behind.
Editors Note
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions toward research on Chrontic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease associated with contact sports and his family hopes soccer’s leadership will consider amending the game’s rules to reduce chances of developing this deadly concussion-related disease. Contributions in Jimmy’s name can be made by mail to:
Boston University Research – CTE Center
Attn. Elizabeth Fay 72 E. Concord St., Robison-B7800
Boston, MA 02118
Online contributions can be made to: BU CTE Center
Images courtesy of Portland Timbers
