TonyBetts.jpg

Tony Betts is pictured here in 1977 (right) and 2005 (left).

(Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian)

Tony Betts was ready for a change when his former coach at Aston Villa, Vic Crowe, offered him the opportunity to come to the United States and play for the Portland Timbers in 1975.

The Derby, England native knew next to nothing about Portland when he arrived in his new city days before the club's first game.

The Timbers went on to compile a 16-6 record that season and win the 1975 Western Division Championship title before facing rivals Seattle Sounders in the first round of the playoffs.

Betts was recovering from an injury at the time and had been on the bench for the majority of the match against Seattle. But in overtime, Crowe inserted Betts into the game.

With the game still tied at 1-1, Timbers winger Willie Anderson sent a cross into the box and Betts headed it into the net to give the Timbers the sudden-death, overtime victory as fans rushed the field in excitement. Portland would go on to beat St. Louis in the semifinals, before falling to the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Soccer Bowl.

Betts played for the Timbers for three seasons, before joining the Major Indoor Soccer League. After an injury ended Betts' playing career in 1982, he decided to join former Timbers teammate Mick Hoban at Nike.

For the last 18 years, Betts, 61, has worked on West Coast soccer sales and promotions for PUMA. While he lives in Beaverton for most of the year, Betts also owns a home in Palm Springs, which he lives in during the winter.

The Oregonian/OregonLive recently sat down with Betts to discuss his famous overtime goal, his involvement in the Portland community in 1975 and how the 1975 Timbers season impacted his life.

With the Portland Timbers set to begin their 40th anniversary season in 2015, The Oregonian wants to tell the story of the people behind the team with our 'Timbers at 40' series. Fans, players, coaches or anyone involved with the Portland Timbers are invited to contact us with their tales of the Timbers and how soccer in the Rose City has impacted their life. If you would like to share your story with Timbers beat reporter Jamie Goldberg, please send us a note.

How did you end up coming to Portland?

Vic Crowe had been the coach at Aston Villa and he was the one that originally signed me as a professional. When he became the coach of the Timbers, he asked me to come play for him. It seemed like a great opportunity to get away from England and English football. It was a lifesaver. The English game at that time, to go and play in a lower division, just was not appealing. There was so much hooliganism in this country in those years. It wasn't a really good time to be in England and this was a good way to try something new. We were really fortunate in 1975 to end up in Portland, which is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States...After the 1975 season, I ended up going back to England, but from the day I left I wanted to return. When the Portland Timbers came over to England to talk to me and offer me the three-year contract it was a no brainer to do it. We sold everything and moved over there.

Did you know anything about Portland before arriving?

No, I thought I'd have a house on the beach. I thought it was on the coast because when you look at the map it kind of looks like it's on the coast. There was no Internet in those days. I had no idea what Portland was like. I thought we'd train in the morning and sit on the beach in the afternoon. I remember arriving and it was a beautiful day. We drove over by the zoo to get to the apartment and it was beautiful. Then it started raining and I was like, 'This is just like home.'

What was you favorite memory from that summer?

My greatest moment was scoring the goal in the quarterfinal against Seattle. I had been hurt, so I came in as a substitute. Vic just told me, 'Tony go run around and try to score a goal.' When I scored that goal, I didn't really even know what was happening. I didn't even see the ball go in. All I could hear is the 33,000 people and then everybody was invading the pitch. You don't get that in England. You don't experience that. It was crazy. I don't think I had to buy a beer for two months after that though. Believe it or not, I had never seen that goal until my son found a very old video of it from the Seattle TV station. That was probably only a few years back. I had never seen it. He had found this tape of part of the game. Fortunately, we still had a VHS recorder and we plugged it in and it was the very first time I'd seen the goal. It was pretty exciting.

How would you describe Vic Crowe as a coach?

Vic was actually a very quiet guy until someone ticked him off. He got very angry at you for making mistakes. In England he had a great reputation. I owe him a lot for signing me in England then bringing me to America. He knew how to get players, not the most skillful, but how to blend a team together. He brought some younger players (to Portland), like myself, that could run and work hard and then he brought in some players that had more experience that could help the younger ones. We all had respect for each other and we knew that. He was a great guy. He just tried to help players. When you respect your coach, players just try to give a little bit extra. When things are down, they rise up again.

Can you talk about your relationship with the community in Portland?

Mick and I would go out into the community a lot. We would go into schools. We would do demonstrations in front of a packed school gymnasium. We would go to car places, fast food restaurants. The Portland Timbers had us doing everything. It really did get us out there. I still think the American public could not understand why professional athletes were doing it. They were used to the basketball players and football players. Here we were getting out in the community and doing it for free and doing things with the soccer ball that they had never seen before. That's what started drawing Portland fans to soccer and how they got the name Soccer City, USA. We went all over, Mt. Hood, Gresham. The people took to that. We were regular guys -- regular guys in short shorts with long hair. Despite our losing years later on, the Portland fans always stuck behind the team.

How long did you play for the Timbers?

I played for three years and then I moved on to play in the Major Indoor Soccer League in of all places Buffalo, New York. It was a good opportunity. It was an exciting game and it was increasing in popularity. It was just another thing to experience. The success we had in Buffalo was similar to the success we had had in that inaugural year of the Timbers. It was the club's first season and we were really good. I sold my house in Portland and bought one in Buffalo, but I always knew I would move back to Portland.

What do you think about the team today?

You always knew that Portland would be successful. I have seen them play a few times. When I go, the atmosphere is great. The crowd is really behind the team. Now, they have more knowledge of the sport. The fans in 1975, I think half of them didn't have a clue what was going on, but it was a fun night. They would scream at the wrong times. They would applaud at something they should boo at. It was weird. So, the fans today are definitely a lot more knowledgeable... When you start getting players like David Beckham and you get Steven Gerrard coming to MLS, Americans know, sooner or later, they can become a reckoning force in the world of soccer.

Do you feel like the decision to play in Portland kind of changed the trajectory of your life?

It was a lifesaver. You never knew what to expect going into a different country. I had no idea what was going to happen. I look back and it seems like I've been in the right place at the right time throughout my life and I've been very lucky. I have to say thank you to Vic Crowe. I came to Portland and I scored some goals and then I scored a goal like that against Seattle. I went to Buffalo and while I was there Mick (Hoban) went to Nike and gave me Nike shoes to play in and then when I got hurt, I went to work for Nike. It's really amazing that people still talk about the team in 1975. It was a heck of a year. You can still go into a bar and a restaurant and once and a while someone will talk to you and they can name nearly the whole team in 1975. It was a good summer. It was the highlight of all our careers I think.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Portland Timbers, The Oregonian/OregonLive will be running a Q&A series this year with the players that competed for the Timbers during the club's inaugural 1975 season. This is the fourth installment of our 1975 Portland Timbers Q&A series.