Don Paul: From Fife High School to “Soccer City”
With the FIFA World Cup arriving in just a few weeks, soccer fever is hitting an all-time high! But did you know that Fife has a deep-rooted connection to the foundations of professional soccer in the United States? Long before the world’s stage came to our doorstep, a local Fife High School athlete was already making history on the pitch.
From the Gridiron to the Pitch
Our current Fife for Life exhibit in the Pat Reed School Room features Don Paul, the Fife High School athlete that went on to play football for the Cleveland Browns in the late 1950s. But his legacy didn’t end there. He transitioned into sport business and returned to the Pacific Northwest. Don became vice president of Oregon Soccer, Inc. in the early 1970s.
Don Paul holds a unique place in Pacific Northwest sports history as one of the few individuals to have served as the General Manager for both the Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders during the original NASL era.
Birth of Soccer City
On January 23, 1975, Don Paul made the announcement at a press conference at the Multnomah Athletic Club: Portland had been awarded its first professional soccer club in the North American Soccer League (NASL). That team became the Portland Timbers.
Don would become General Manager for the team that inaugural season.
“There really is a new game in town.” Don Paul said during the press conference.
During their inaugural season, the Timbers took first place in the Pacific Division of the NASL with a record of 16 wins and 6 losses. The rematch game against the Seattle Sounders sold out Civic Stadium. The day before the match Don Paul coined the city’s new nickname: “Tomorrow, we’ll really be able to call Portland ‘Soccer City’.”
Two years later, Don Paul served as General Manager for Team Hawaii during its single season in the NASL in 1977. As part of the ownership group, he moved the franchise from Miami to Honolulu.
The Sounders Chapter
In June of 1983, Don Paul was named General Manager of the Seattle Sounders after President Bruce Anderson announced he would be selling his share of the team. He had “total authority” over day-to-day operations while the team dealt with financial ownership issues. On September 6, 1983 Don Paul confirmed the club was ceasing operations due to a withdrawal of funding from a major donor.
The NASL collapsed following the 1984 season because of the economic recession of the early 80s and FIFA choosing Mexico over the United States for the World Cup in 1986.
The Portland Timbers are celebrating their 51st year in 2026. As Don Paul said that day at the Multnomah Athletic Club: “Hopefully we’ll be here forever.”
Visit the Exhibit
To see more memorabilia from Don Paul’s career and other local legends, visit the Fife for Life exhibit in the Pat Reed School Room at the Fife History Museum.
We are open Wednesday through Friday 11am – 4pm. Admission is always free!
Sources:
- https://www.upi.com/archives/1983/06/23/sounders-top-owner-plans-to-sell/964245188800
- https://portland.daveknows.orb/2011/01/23/january-23-1975-portland-awared-an-nasl-franchise
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/north_american_soccer_league
- https://funwhileitlasted.net/2014/05/12/1975-1982-portland-timbers
- https://timbers.com/news/540-forty-years-ago-today-was-start-new-soccer-team-portland
- https://wweek.com/portland/article-23467-july-26-1975-a-crownd-gathers-to-watch-an-exotic-game.html
- https://brownsnation.com/don-paul/
- https://greenisthecolor.substack.com/p/hopefully-we-are-here-forever
- https://portlandtribune.com/2017/04/18/oregon-sports-history-127/
- https://timbers.com/news/memory-soccer-pionner-how-dennis-omeara-helped-grow-timbers-and-game-portland
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/portland_timbers_(1975%e2%80%931982)