—by Stephan Lewis

After decades of service to our community the Timbers Legend, Jimmy Conway, has been suffering a continual decline in health due to trauma-induced dementia. Dementia is most difficult for the people closest to the affected individual and we have the opportunity to help them directly as they cope with these changes. In order to better take care of him as his condition worsens his wife, Noeleen, is moving them to a different house that better meets their needs. Hoban and Timber Jim have organized to clean up the home and have asked for our help to get the job done on July 19th from 9am-4pm.

Sign up and join us as we thank Jimmy for his service by giving back in this small way. He has earned it and so have his loved ones.

What makes Jimmy Conway a Timbers Legend?

You’ve seen the name hanging in the rafters. You know he played for the NASL Timbers. You probably know that he was one of the Timbers from that era that stuck around and made our neck of the woods his home. However, many of you may not truly understand who Jimmy Conway is and the impact he has had on growing the beautiful game here in Oregon.

Jimmy was raised in the Stella Maris FC development program in Dublin which has long been a hotbed for producing future national team players and international managers. Jimmy himself had 20 caps with Ireland throughout his career. After a stint with local club Bohemian FC, he was recruited to play for Fulham FC during the club’s most prolific era and is still fondly remembered by Cottagers, to this day. Ten years and 360 matches later, he did a stint with Manchester City before coming across to play with the Timbers in 1978 at the age of 31. He wore the armband for the team the next year, was a player/assistant coach the year after that, and it has been argued that he was the most talented player to ever wear Our Crest over his heart. More than an exceptionally skilled player, he has always been a man of integrity and this transpired in the way he played. Through 15 years of playing (443 games), he never received a caution or ejection. Unfortunately, his career was cut short due to a persistent injury and has developed long-term health issues caused by putting his head where it belonged as a part of the game.

As was the hope of the Timbers FO back in the day when recruiting, Jimmy got stuck in and shared a dream to cultivate the love of the beautiful game visible through the support of the NASL Timbers. The years following his retirement from competitive play (other than the Timbers indoor team) Jimmy continued on as an assistant coach. In 1981, he and Clive Charles were hired by Oregon Youth Soccer Association (OYSA) as head coaches in the organization’s 7th year. It was through his role as the director of coaching with OYSA over 28 years since then that his true legend has been created. Jimmy’s experience growing up in a top flight youth system gave him the ability to facilitate the growth of the local youth development system and knew it would take an army of well-trained people to pull it off.

One of his greatest skills which has made him a great player, a great captain, a great coach, and a great person overall, is his ability to spot the strengths in others and foster the abilities within those individuals. In his early years with OYSA, he scoured the countryside giving intensive clinics to moms and dads, many of whom were new to the game. Through this, he was able to identify individuals for higher level training and ultimately was responsible for licensing well over 1,000 people, truly, creating an army. Forget teaching a man to fish, if you teach someone to teach, you can benefit the entire community and that’s his gift to all of us. If you grew up playing the game in this area, odds are good that you were coached by someone trained by Jimmy if not by Jimmy himself. Yeah, that’s stuck in. Unfortunately, due to his declining health, he retired from the organization in 2009. The Oregon Youth Soccer Foundation (the non-profit arm of OYSA) has created the Jimmy Conway Coach Education Scholarships to honor his impact and provides those of lesser means the opportunity to attend the US Soccer Federation National “D” license course, run by OYSA.

Outside of his work with OYSA, he coached Pacific University from 1983 to 1987 with a record of 51-37-9 and OSU from 1988 to 1999 with a record of 97-88-14. At the start of the USL era for the Timbers in 2001, he came back to the team and renewed his role as an assistant coach until 2005. He was also on the U. S. Soccer Federation's national staff after his work heading OYSA’s connection to the U.S. Youth Soccer's Olympic Development Program lending his skills and experience to the national effort while keeping us up to speed, locally. Jimmy Conway has always valued the care of the next generation and his dedication to them is what makes him a true Legend of the PTFC.

Little was known about the effects of persistent head trauma at the time of Jimmy’s retirement and there is much we still don’t understand. He has been diagnosed with trauma-induced dementia, one of many forms they are now able to distinguish. The most common form of dementia in athletes is dementia pugilistica. Commonly known as boxer’s syndrome or scientifically as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, it is the result of repeated head trauma. Common symptoms are dementia and parkinsonism, which can take years or even decades to manifest and some also experience slurred speech and poor coordination. At times, a single traumatic incident can cause similar symptoms as well as long-term memory loss depending on the effected part of the brain.

As a result of the growing knowledge of the long-term effects of head trauma, we have seen many leagues in many sports taking head injuries very seriously. We don’t need to look far but to the recent retirement of ‘There’s Only One’ Eddie Johnson whose career was cut short in what we were all hoping to be his prime. Even in the current World Cup in Brazil, we’ve seen a heightened discussion about the need to grow our understanding of this pivotal issue.

Given the overlapping nature of all forms of dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association leads the way in all forms of its research. The work being done, and the massive amount of work to be done, can directly benefit current players as well as our sons and daughters who will be the next generation to play the game. We will be joining the Walk to End Alzheimer’s again this year on September 9th in support of their efforts so, save the date.

For now, please come and join us as we help to make their home a truly special place.

Here are the details for the work party that Mick Hoban and Timber Jim have organized to clean up the new home for Jimmy Conway as his Noleen wife transitions him to a place that she can care for him as his conditions gets worse.

Click here to sign up to volunteer.

Event details:
July 19th
9am- 4pm
Conway home
8355 SW Ernst Rd.
Portland

Tool list:
Standard garden tools and a few steel bars for removing old railroad tie retaining walls. Axes, hazel hoes, wheelbarrows also will be useful.

Thank you for giving back to someone who has given so much to soccer and to the community.