Cliff lives in Portland, OR, where he shares a Chiropractic practice with his wife, Amy. He was drawn to the flight of the disc before he knew of Ultimate, beginning with other disc sports (trick throws and catches, disc golf, distance, etc) in high school. He started playing Ultimate in 1976 while living in San Diego. He moved to Santa Barbara in 1977 to attend UCSB and played with the Condors for over 10 years. Cliff then moved to Oregon, where his Ultimate career continued through the mid 90’s with The Donors and the Rhino Slam.
Over the duration of his career, he played in 17 Open Regionals, qualified for Nationals 12 times–winning twice and making it to the semis or finals 5 times. Cliff made friends all over the world through Ultimate, and to this day enjoys compliments from his arch rivals. He toured in Japan with the inaugural USA All Star Team and represented WFDF in the fields of Peru.
Cliff played for 20 years at the Open level, only stopping after the birth of his first child when parenting became his top priority. Cliff was honored to be inducted into the USAU Hall of Fame in 2011 due to his reputation of playing with the highest level of skill and intensity and with honor, embodying Spirit of the Game.
He has always had passion for Ultimate, but it wasn’t until he began coaching a few years ago that Cliff was able to see this passion return in a different form through his mentorship and coaching of High School and YCC Ultimate in Portland, OR. Some of his best friendships and favorite memories were made possible by the sport, and this is what he hopes to nurture in the next generation.