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Mia
Hamm was the world’s most outstanding woman soccer
player in the first years of the 21st century,
attracting more attention to the game in the United
States than any player, male or female, ever had.
During her spectacular career she scored 158 goals
in international competition, more than any other
player in history. A forward and midfielder for the
U.S. Women’s National Team, she was instrumental in
the World Cup victories in 1991 and 1999 and Olympic
Gold Medals in 1996 and 2004. She played in four
World Cups for the United States, in 1991, 1995,
1999 and 2003, and three Olympic Games, in 1996,
2000 and 2004. Of the 30 games the United States
played in those seven tournaments, she only missed
two. Hamm played 275 full international games
between 1987 and 2004.
At 15, Hamm became the youngest person ever to be a
member of the U.S. National Team, where she spent 17
years. Her first game for the United States was
against China in Tianjin in August 1987. She made
her first international goal in her 17th game on
July 25, 1990 vs. Norway. In 1991, at age 19, Hamm
was the youngest woman ever to win a World Cup.
During the 1991 World Cup she started five of six
games and scored two goals. Her last game was
against Mexico in Carson, Calif., on December 8,
2004.
In 1989, Hamm entered the University of North
Carolina, where she was nicknamed “Jordan,” after
fellow UNC alum and NBA star Michael Jordan, because
of her dominance of collegiate soccer. Hamm led the
Tar Heels to four National Collegiate Athletic
Association championships. At the University of
North Carolina, Hamm was named All-American and
Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year three
years in a row. She was also the recipient of the
prestigious Honda-Broderick Award as the nation's
outstanding female collegiate athlete for 1993-94.
Hamm led the nation in scoring at the collegiate
level in 1990, 1992, and 1993. She graduated with an
all-time record for most conference goals 103,
assists 72, and total points 278.
Hamm was a founding member of the Women United
Soccer Association where she played three seasons
for the Washington Freedom. She was WUSA champion
and All-Star with Washington in 2003. She played 49
WUSA regular-season games and four WUSA playoff
games.
Mia’s historic career has been honored on the
national and international level. Hamm was named
FIFA’s Women’s World Player of the year twice (2001
and 2002) and the U.S. Soccer Federation Female
Athlete of the Year five years in a row (1994-1998).
In 2004, Hamm along with teammate Michelle Akers
were placed on FIFA’s list of the 125 greatest
living soccer players. They were the only women and
only Americans named. Hamm has been recognized as
more than an outstanding athlete; she has become a
popular culture idol. She was named in 1997 as one
of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful people as
well as one of Esquire Magazine's "100 Best People
in the World".
In 1997 Hamm created the Mia Hamm Foundation to
raise funds for bone marrow research inspired by her
brother Garrett, who died in 1997 from complications
with aplastic anemia, a bone marrow disease. She is
also the author of a National best seller titled Go
for the Goal: A Champions Guide to Winning in Soccer
and Life.
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