August / September 2003
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see Obituaries Index
Clive Charles (West Ham United) I was very sad to find out from the West Ham
Official Website that Clive Charles has died, and so soon
after the death of his brother, John.. This obituary to
Clive is found at CLIVE CHARLES - West Ham United
FC - The Official Website
West
Ham United was saddened to hear of the death of
former player Clive Charles last week.
Clive sadly
passed away at the age of 51, following a long battle
with cancer, at his home in Portland, Oregon in the
United States. He lives a widow, Clarina, and two
children.
Younger
brother of John, who also played for the club and
died last year, full-back Clive made 15 appearances
for West Ham in the early 70s, but was never able to
claim a regular first team place ahead of Frank
Lampard and John McDowell.
In 1974, he
was transferred to Cardiff City, where he made
history by becoming the first black player to captain
a Football League club.
Until his
ill health prevented him, he was still coaching the
boys and girls of Portland University soccer teams
and in 2001 was a coach to the USA Olympic squad.
He made a
recent trip to England, where he was visited by
former team-mates Brian Dear, Harry Redknapp and
Frank Lampard.
Our sincere
condolences go to Clive's family and friends.
by West Ham
United
SignOnSanDiego.com Sports --
Soccer coach Clive Charles dies at 51 has the following report:
Clive
Charles, who coached the U.S. men's soccer team in
the 2000 Olympics, died Tuesday. He was 51.
Charles
also led the University of Portland women's team to
this year's national championship while battling
prostate cancer.
"We
grieve for Clive's family and his thousands of
friends at the university and around the world who
have lost a generous and sensitive friend," the
university's senior vice president, Rev. E. William
Beauchamp, said in a statement. "Clive's life
and work were gifts of extraordinary worth, and his
impact as teacher and coach, friend and mentor, will
be felt ... for many years to come."
Charles
coached Portland's men's team since 1986 and took
over as the coach of the women's team three years
later. He had a combined 439-144-44 record and was
one of five NCAA coaches to win more than 400 college
soccer games.
He led
Portland to 13 conference titles, 20 NCAA tournament
berths and seven Final Four appearances as coach of
both the men's and women's teams.
"I
definitely owe my career and where I am today to that
man," said Shannon MacMillan, the U.S. women's
national team player who starred for Portland in the
1990s. "I didn't really have a lot of confidence
when I came to Portland, and he helped me become a
happy, confident person."
Charles
fought prostate cancer for two years, yet still
managed to coach both teams. During the season, he
underwent weekly chemotherapy treatments to keep the
cancer from reappearing.
"He
was such an incredible person that it didn't change
him at all," MacMillan said. "It only
helped us see what an incredible fighter he
was."
His playing
career began when he was a teenager in his native
England for West Ham United.
Charles
played as a defender for 17 years, including stints
with the North American Soccer League's Portland
Timbers and Pittsburgh Spirit. His playing days ended
in 1982 with the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major
Indoor Soccer League.
In addition
to leading the U.S. team to the semifinals at the
Sydney Games, Charles was an assistant coach in 1998
for the U.S. squad at the World Cup that finished
last.
Charles was
inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame earlier
this month. The Timbers, now with the A-League, will
retire his No. 3 jersey in a halftime ceremony next
Friday during their final game of the season.
"No
one in soccer has touched and enriched more lives in
Portland than Clive Charles," Timbers general
manager Jim Taylor said. "He was a tenacious
defender on the pitch, a world-class mentor and coach
and as kind and giving a man as you'll ever know.
Very special
thanks to Scott French for sending Bob's 70-71 pages the
two articles from socceramerica.com, see Clive
Charles
Ray Harford (Lincoln City)
I was very
sad to hear of the death by cancer of Ray Harford, the
coach of Blackburn Rovers' Premiership title victory. The
following are some of the tributes to Ray found on the
Net..
BBC SPORT Football Ray Harford
dies ...
Former
Blackburn manager Ray Harford has died, aged 58,
following a lengthy battle against cancer.
Harford
helped Kenny Dalglish lift the Premiership title in
1995 and was acknowledged as one of the finest
coaches of his generation.
His first
senior experience on the coaching side came at Fulham
where he became assistant manager to Malcolm
Macdonald in 1982.
Harford
became the Cottagers boss two years later following
Macdonald's departure. Two laters later he resigned
and joined Luton as John Moore's assistant.
After
taking over as manager in June 1987, he became
Luton's most successful boss.
In his
first season they finished ninth in Division One, won
their first major trophy by beating Arsenal in the
final of the League Cup, lost to eventual winners
Wimbledon in the semi- final of the FA Cup and also
reached the final of the Simod Cup.
The
following season, Harford again took Luton to
Wembley, where they lost the League Cup final and he
was controversially sacked in January 1990.
Within a
month, Harford had teamed up with Bobby Gould at
Wimbledon and took charge once more when Gould quit.
He then took the Dons to seventh place in the
Division One before leaving to join Dalglish at Ewood
Park.
In spite of
vowing he would never again step up from number two
to the manager's chair, when Dalglish decided to quit
in the wake of the title triumph, the club asked
Harford to take the job and he accepted.
Harford was
born in Halifax on June 1, 1945 and as a player was a
centre-half from the old school.
 |
Harford's
managerial highlights
1982: Appointed Fulham assistant manager.
1987: Takes over as Luton manager.
1987: Luton win League Cup
1988: Luton beaten League Cup finalists.
1995: Helps Blackburn to Premiership title. |
His
career began with Charlton and continued via Exeter,
Lincoln, Mansfield, Port Vale and Colchester United,
where he was given his first staff job as youth
coach.
After
leaving Blackburn, Harford also had spells as manager
at West Brom, QPR and Millwall.
A statement
on the Millwall website said: "It is with deep
sadness that Millwall Football Club announce the
death of coach Ray Harford, who passed away in the
early hours of Saturday morning.
"Ray,
58, had been fighting a lengthy battle against cancer
and his passing will be a great loss to
football."
Millwall
coaxed Harford out of semi-retirement in 1999, when
he was appointed coach under Keith Stevens and Alan
McLeary.
Also see ...
BBC - Beds, Herts and
Bucks Sport - Ray Harford dies
Guardian Unlimited The
Guardian Ray Harford
LeagueManagers.com Ray
Harford
Luton Town Official Site
- Ray Harford
Further August /
September 2003 news can be found at ...
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