Our first home game as a MLS club is coming up on Thursday. It's important that we honor the past and pay attention to the fact that the Timbers have existed prior to 2011. Our friends at FC Media have been hard at work chronicling the history of the Portland Timbers and founders Michael Orr and Morgen Young are curating an exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society with all kinds of interesting tidbits.
I can't think of a better way to spend the Friday after our first home game in the newly remodeled House of Pane or the Saturday before our game against Dallas than at the Oregon History Museum checking out the exhibit. Press release posted below for all the details.
Portland, OR – April 8, 2011— This spring, Oregon launches a new era in sports history with the Portland Timbers’ inaugural season in Major League Soccer. Though many fans are anxiously awaiting the kick‐off, not all are as familiar with the long history of the club. In celebration of the Portland Timbers’ exciting first match, the Oregon History Museum at the Oregon Historical Society is opening Soccer City, USA, an exhibit that
will give Timbers fans and history buffs alike the chance to learn the story of the original Portland Timbers teams.
Over a year ago, exhibit curators Michael Orr and Morgen Young started FC Media as a way to collect the history of this popular team since its inception in 1975. Trying to locate a full collection of the Timbers’ historic uniforms, FC Media discovered that no such museum or archive dedicated to the Timbers existed. This realization sent the avid soccer fans on a quest to collect uniforms, photographs, and oral histories from both players and fans. They approached the Oregon History Museum as a way to showcase this incredible collection to the public, as well as ensure that these important pieces of history are cared for properly.
Focusing on the years that the Portland Timbers played in the North American Soccer League, from 1975‐1982, Orr and Young reached out to players from those original teams, some of whom still live in Portland.
“We started cold calling people, and we came across the phone numbers for two of the players on the original Timbers team,” says Orr. These players connected FC Media with many more ex‐Timbers players and fans, many of whom have contributed to this exhibit. As a result of these connections, six game worn jerseys from players on the 1975 team will be displayed at OHS, including one from the first person ever signed to a Timbers’ contract.
“What you will see when you visit this exhibit is a pooling of everything that is out there about the Timbers ‐ from past players to lifetime fans” states Orr. “The uniforms and memorabilia in this exhibit are items that you could only get if you were there, as a ticket holder or a player. This exhibit is the largest collection of Timbers’ artifacts in one place at one time, something that even the most dedicated fans have never been able to access.”
Artifacts in the exhibit tell the story behind well known Portland Timbers traditions. Timbers fans know that when a goal is scored beloved mascot, lumberjack Timber Joey, saws a slice off of a gigantic log with a chainsaw. The spectacle, loved by fans and feared by opponents, was started by Timber Jim in the late 1970s. In 1980, noted Timbers midfielder John Bain scored a hat trick in a game against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and Timber Jim cut a log slice and carved Bain’s name and date into the piece of wood. That log, sequestered in Bain’s office for 30 years, will be showcased in Soccer City, USA.
Also unearthed for the exhibit is the trophy from the Timbers’ 1975 Western Conference Championship victory. Many fans know that the Timbers played in the Soccer Bowl that year, but few have ever seen the large trophy they were awarded for winning the Western Conference, which has been in the home of the sons of an original Timbers owner. This beautiful trophy, along with shoes, posters, soccer balls, and fan memorabilia, will be on display.
FC Media has gathered historic items from the living rooms, garages and attics of Timbers fans and players to create this exciting exhibit. Join us at the Oregon History Museum on opening weekend between the Timbers’ home games, April 15‐17, 2011, where you can honor the past and celebrate the future of Portland’s new Major League Soccer team.
OHS is hosting a private press and member preview for the exhibit on Friday, April 15th, 2011 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Curators and exhibit contributors will be on site. Media should contact OHS if they plan to attend.
Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, Noon to 5:00 p.m. Visit WWW.OHS.ORG for more information.
About FC Media
Beyond being soccer enthusiasts, Michael Orr and Morgen Young are also experienced historians; Orr holds an undergraduate degree in history and Young holds a graduate degree in public history. FC Media’s graphic designer, Matthew Speakman, contributed to the exhibit’s design and in creating the text panels that tell the story of the team.
About the Oregon Historical Society
The Society has served since 1898 as Oregon’s primary research collection and museum about Oregon history. OHS has an extensive collection of historical pieces, including over 85,000 artifacts and 3 million photographs and films. It safeguards and presents Oregon’s history through a museum, research library, traveling exhibits, school programs and website content.
