Following the passing of legendary head coach Clive Charles, Bill Irwin was promoted to Director of Soccer and men’s head coach in the fall of 2003 after serving 16 years as an assistant. As Director of Soccer, Irwin oversaw both the men’s and women’s soccer programs. The two staffs split following the 2013 season.
Irwin and the coaching staff have carried on the tradition of elite soccer on The Bluff, which was begun by Charles in 1986. In 2009, Irwin directed the men’s side to their 14th postseason appearance. The Pilots advanced to the NCAA Third Round, where they lost to eventual national champion Virginia 1-0 in Charlottesville, Va.
During the 2005 season, the UP women won their second NCAA National Championship in four years. The Pilots finished 23-0-2 to become just the second team in NCAA Division I women’s soccer history to complete an unbeaten season with a championship.
Irwin came to The Bluff as an assistant coach prior to the 1987 season and was reunited with Charles, his long-time friend and former professional teammate, beginning at Cardiff City in the English Second Division in 1971. Irwin has a distinguished record as a goalkeeping specialist as six starting men’s goalkeepers who trained under Irwin at UP have gone on to play professionally: Greg Maas, Kasey Keller, Stuart Dobson, Scott Hileman, Curtis Spiteri, Luis Robles and most recently Austin Guerrero, who is UP’s all-time leader in saves. Keller, a three-time All-American and the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper of the Year, was a regular on the U.S. National Team (1990, 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups), captained the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team in Atlanta and is a two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year. Robles was named the 2015 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
In the women’s net, Erin Fahey (1991-93, 95) earned All-America status in 1995 after leading the nation with a school-record 16 shutouts. Cheryl Loveless became the third Irwin-coached keeper to be named All-America after posting a 0.42 GAA (No. 2 nationally) and 13 shutouts (No. 3 nationally) in 1996. In 1998, Angela Harrison bested her own school and WCC goals-against average with a 0.30 effort, finishing third in the nation. The Pilots posted a school-record 17 shutouts en route to the 2002 NCAA Championship, and followed with 16 shutouts in 2003 with then-freshman keeper Cori Alexander minding the nets each. Alexander went on to become UP’s all-time leader in career shutouts (39) and career saves (259). She was the 2005 College Cup Defensive MVP.
Irwin has extensive experience on both the men’s and women’s side of the U.S. National Team circuit. During the summer of 2007, Irwin led the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team, which featured three Pilots, to the Nordic Cup Title in Vaasa, Finland. Early in 2006, he was with the full women’s squad for the second straight year serving along with head coach Greg Ryan. In 2004, he was with the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team, which also cruised to the Nordic Cup title in Iceland. He has also worked with the U-18 Boy’s National Team, and was named goalkeeper coach of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team in 1997. Irwin served as goalkeeper coach for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team beginning in 1999, which included a trip to the 2001 World Youth Championships in Argentina. Irwin also trained keepers on the 1998 World Cup team, the 2000 Olympic team, and U-18, U-17 and U-16 national teams. In addition, Irwin is a national staff coach, and OYSA staff coach.
Irwin is a F.C. Portland staff coach and has coached the U-15 and U-16 girls to the Oregon State Championship. He also coaches U-15 and U-18 boys in the F.C. program, is certified as an “A” licensed coach and is a member of the Region IV staff.
Irwin’s soccer background includes 17 years in the pro ranks. He began playing semi-pro as a 16-year-old in Northern Ireland, where he earned several youth and amateur international caps. He played eight seasons in England with Cardiff City, winning several Welsh Cups, and played in the European Cup Winner’s Cup competition, before moving to the United States in 1978 and playing for three years with the NASL’s Washington Diplomats. His seven-year NASL experience also took him to the Dallas Tornado (1981), the Portland Timbers (1982) and the San Jose Earthquakes (1983-84). His final two pro campaigns were in the Major Indoor Soccer League with the Minnesota Strikers (1985) and the Wichita Wings (1986).
Irwin and his wife, Liz, live in Portland and are the parents of two sons: Bryan, who is a former forward for the Pilots, and Nicholas.
IRWIN’S CAREER RECORD| MEN | | | | | | |
| Year | W | L | T | Pct. | WCC/Finish | NCAA |
| 2003 | 10 | 9 | 1 | .525 | 3-2-1/t3rd | Second Round |
| 2004 | 12 | 8 | 2 | .591 | 6-5-1/4th | Second Round |
| 2005 | 6 | 11 | 2 | .368 | 3-8-1/7th | N/A |
| 2006 | 8 | 8 | 3 | .500 | 4-7-1/6th | N/A |
| 2007 | 10 | 6 | 5 | .595 | 6-2-4/3rd | First Round |
| 2008 | 8 | 10 | 2 | .450 | 5-7-0/7th | N/A |
| 2009 | 12 | 6 | 5 | .630 | 4-4-4/4th | Third Round |
| 2010 | 9 | 4 | 6 | .631 | 6-3-3/3rd | N/A |
| 2011 | 11 | 7 | 2 | .600 | 6-5-1/3rd | N/A |
| 2012 | 7 | 9 | 3 | .447 | 5-5-2/4th | N/A |
| 2013 | 9 | 11 | 0 | .450 | 4-8-0/6th | N/A |
| 2014 | 4 | 11 | 4 | .316 | 0-6-1/8th | N/A |
| 2015 | 3 | 12 | 3 | .250 | 1-6-0/7th | N/A |
| Totals | 109 | 112 | 38 | .494 | 53-68-19 (.446) | 4 Appearances |
| *WOMEN | | | | | | |
| Year | W | L | T | Pct. | WCC/Finish | NCAA |
| 2003 | 18 | 3 | 2 | .826 | 5-1-1/2nd | Third Round |
| 2004 | 20 | 4 | 0 | .833 | 6-1-0/t1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2005 | 23 | 0 | 2 | .960 | 6-0-1/1st | Champions |
| 2006 | 17 | 4 | 3 | .804 | 4-1-2/2nd | Quarterfinals |
| 2007 | 18 | 4 | 0 | .818 | 7-0-0/1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2008 | 20 | 2 | 0 | .909 | 7-0-0/1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2009 | 21 | 2 | 0 | .913 | 7-0-0/1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2010 | 19 | 1 | 2 | .909 | 6-0-1/1st | Second Round |
| 2011 | 9 | 10 | 2 | .476 | 4-4-0/5th | Second Round |
| 2012 | 11 | 5 | 5 | .643 | 5-1-2/2nd | Second Round |
| 2013 | 17 | 3 | 1 | .833 | 8-1-0/t1st | Second Round |
| Totals | 193 | 38 | 17 | .813 | 65-9-7 (.846) | 11 Appearances/1 Title |
*The men’s and women’s soccer programs used a combined coaching staff until 2014: 22 years, 295-127-48 (.679), 117-65-25 (.625 WCC), 15 NCAA berths, 1 National Championship
