After 45 years of free, early-morning care for student-athletes across Riverside and the Inland Empire, the SPORT Clinic will officially close its doors on June 15, 2026.
The closure came after Riverside Medical Clinic conducted a fiscal review and notified Dr. Jim Clover, DAT, AT, PTA, CES, the clinic's longtime director, that the Sports Medicine Program would be discontinued.
"I am devastated to learn that the Riverside Sports Clinic will be closing after 45 years of service," said Cynthia Cuccio, a CTE sports medicine teacher and athletic trainer at Patriot High School who worked with Clover for 19 years. "The clinic has been a trusted part of our athletic community and has supported generations of patients with compassionate and dependable care."
Clover reflected on the clinic's origins in a message to the community shared with the Gazette. It began in 1980–81 with a vision from Art Webb, who had a practice on Brockton Avenue. The clinic later moved to Community Medical Group around 1984, where Dr. Wall played a major leadership role, and was sustained by Riverside Medical Clinic for its final 10 years after Community Medical Group could no longer continue.
"The mission was always simple: take care of student-athletes in the Inland Empire," Clover wrote. "And we did."
The clinic's early-morning hours — 6 to 8 a.m. — were deliberate. By opening before school, athletes could receive care and still make it to class on time. It operated at no cost to patients.
When Clover started, there were only two athletic trainers in the area: Al Boyd at Riverside City College and Vic De Liu at UC Riverside. None worked in local high schools.
"We covered games because someone had to," Clover wrote, crediting the volunteers and colleagues who stepped in: Ned Bergert and Rick Smith from the California Angels, and physical therapists and athletic trainers including Chris Mumaw, Shawn Zink, Todd Babcock, Jimmy Winn and Jimmy Buba Elton. "Those early days built something real. We didn't just fill a gap, we created a need and helped establish a profession in this area."
Over the years, the clinic participated in 35 All-Star Football Games and 25 Practical Applications in Sports Medicine programs, distributed scholarships and launched a sports medicine fellowship with Kaiser, where Dr. Rubin was the first fellow. Physicians including Dr. Sallis, Dr. Felix, Dr. Chun and Dr. d'Arc provided ongoing support.
"I honestly don't know if there is a way to accurately express the tremendous impact Jim Clover has had on Riverside as a whole and especially his impact on the world of local youth and high school athletics," said John Corona, a retired track coach and teacher in Riverside Unified School District and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame board member. "In the last 45 years, he has changed just about everything in the realm of athletic training, preventive care and rehabilitation of athletes. His students and mentees populate just about every school in Riverside County."
Tony Masi, a retired athletic director in RUSD and Riverside Sports Hall of Fame honoree, put it more directly: "He is a unicorn and the GOAT all in one."
"Jim is our pioneer and is the reason so many schools within the IE have athletic trainers at all," said Cassie Vergara, an athletic trainer with Clover Enterprises Inc., the company that partnered with Riverside Medical Clinic to operate the SPORT Clinic. "I've met practitioners in the high desert who have fondly referred to our area as 'Cloverland,' knowing of Jim's precedence."
John Tibbles, assistant principal of athletics at Ramona High School, credited the clinic's reach across area campuses. "The sport trainers Jim sent to Ramona and all the area high schools have all been wonderful to work with," he said. "Thank you to Jim for all he has given to the Riverside community over the years."
Hannah Wadding, who spent five years working with Clover and is pursuing a career in medicine, described the clinic's atmosphere as one defined equally by rigor and warmth.
"There was never a day in the clinic that wasn't filled with laughter, smiles, and valuable lessons," she said. "Dr. Clover is not only an exceptional sports medicine physician, but also an amazing person who makes everyone around him feel comfortable and cared for — whether that's parents, athletes, or interns."
Clover said he does not blame anyone for the closure. "This is not a negative story to me," he said in an interview. "It is the natural end of a remarkable chapter."
He remains active. Clover continues to work with athletic trainers throughout the Inland Empire, teaches at Cal State San Bernardino and has completed his fourth book on sports medicine. He is also developing a new project focused on education and safety called ClassroomShield360.
"Becki, and my daughters Ryann and Sydney, thank you for letting me go to work every day to take care of other people's kids," he wrote in his community message. "There were early mornings, long days, nights, weekends, and a lot of time that could have been spent at home. You supported me anyway. I couldn't have done this without you."
"The SPORT Clinic may be closing, but what it stood for isn't going anywhere. And neither am I. I'll still be around."
"It's been one hell of a run."
