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LOS ANGELES, CA (February 27, 2007) – The
National Soccer Hall of Fame announced today that U.
S. Women’s National Team stars, two-time
Olympic
Gold Medalists, and
two-time World Cup Champions Mia Hamm and
Julie Foudy have been elected to the National Soccer
Hall of Fame in the Player Category. The
announcement, sponsored by The Century Council’s
Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage
Drinking, took place at The Home Depot Center in
Carson, CA.
The two players will be inducted into
the National Soccer Hall of Fame at the 2007
Induction Ceremonies on Sunday, August 26th
in Oneonta, NY. The results of the Veteran and
Builder Elections and further details on the 2007
Induction Weekend will be released in March.
“This is truly an historic moment,” Hall of Fame
President George Brown stated. “There were a total
of 62 players on the ballot, of whom 15 were women.
For the first time in the history of the Hall, those
selected in the Player Category will be only women.
Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy, who were in their first
year of eligibility, rose to the top just as they
did in their playing careers. And Mia Hamm’s vote
total was the highest in our election history. Hamm
and Foudy were a lethal combination as teammates and
it is fitting that their careers should be capped by
being enshrined together in the Hall of Fame. They
richly deserve this recognition and we will be
honored to welcome them into the National Soccer
Hall of Fame.”
Hamm was selected on 137 of the 141 ballots cast,
setting a new high in votes received. Her 97.16%
surpassed that of the previous percentage garnered
by Michelle Akers in 2005, who was elected with
95.77% of the vote. Hamm’s career is one of
unparalleled success. While she, along with five
other U.S. Women’s National Team members, won two
FIFA World Championships and two Olympic Gold
Medals, she became the leading scorer in
international soccer and the face of women’s soccer
in America. Her 158 international goals shattered
the previous record by 50 goals. Further, she was an
unselfish player, assisting on 144 goals scored by
her teammates, figures that unquestionably make her
the most dangerous player in the history of the
game. During the course of her 18-year career, the
Women’s National Team had an impressive 82.5%
overall winning percentage in her 275 matches. She
was a founding player of the Women’s United Soccer
Association and, in 2003, led the Washington Freedom
to the Founders’ Cup Championship. “I was both
surprised and honored when the President of the Hall
of Fame called to tell me that I had been elected,”
said Mia Hamm. “I have always held the game in
great respect and to be included in the Hall along
with individuals who have represented the game at
the highest level means so much to me. I am
very excited and looking forward to being a part of
the induction ceremonies in Oneonta.”
Foudy was elected with 83.69% of the vote, having
been selected on 118 ballots. Her Women’s National
Team career included serving as the team captain,
following the retirement of Hall of
 Famer Carla
Overbeck (Class of 2006) from 2000 through 2004,
including the historic overtime win in the Gold
Medal match of the 2004 Olympics. In her 271
international match career Foudy scored 45 goals,
had 59 assists, and the team had an amazing 85.6%
winning record. Foudy was also a founding player for
the WUSA and led the San Diego Spirit for its three
seasons. She has been President of the Women’s
Sports Foundation and has used her visibility in the
sport to bring issues beyond soccer to the
forefront, most prominently, with her membership on
the President’s Advisory Committee on Title IX. She
has, among other societal causes, been active in
promotion of The Century Council’s Girl Talk
program.
“I have always considered myself blessed to have
played alongside the most amazing group of women for
2 decades. To now be recognized alongside so many
incredible pioneers and legends in the game of
soccer is an incredible honor,” said Julie Foudy.
The top ten on the 2007 Hall of Fame Players’
Ballot were:
Mia
Hamm 137
Votes 97.16%
Julie
Foudy
118 83.69%
Joy
Fawcett
95 67.38%
Marco Etcheverry
82 58.16%
Thomas Dooley
73 51.77%
Joe-Max Moore
73 48.23%
Carlos
Valderrama
68 48.23%
Peter
Vermes
44 31.21%
Peter
Nowak
40 28.37%
Mauricio Cienfuegos
35 24.82%
Complete results can be found on the National
Soccer Hall of Fame web site,
www.soccerhall.org.
“The Century Council applauds Mia Hamm and Julie
Foudy not only for their athletic achievements on
the field, but also for their great sense of family
and community,” said Ralph Blackman, President and
CEO of The Century Council. “The Century Council is
honored to be part of this wonderful opportunity to
highlight the careers of two women who had the drive
to achieve their goals, breaking down barriers in
women’s sports every step of the way for young girls
everywhere.”
The good news is that underage drinking has
declined over the twenty years; the bad news is that
there is a slower decline among our nation’s girls.
Recognizing the need to address this issue, The
Century Council partnered with the U.S. National
Women’s Soccer Team Players Association and the
Society for Women’s Health Research to create
Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage
Drinking. Designed to educate mothers and
their teenage daughters about the specific risks
facing young girls regarding alcohol, the Girl
Talk program discourages underage drinking and
encourages girls to live healthy and active
lifestyles. The program includes a brochure and
website for moms,
www.girlsanddrinking.org and a website for
teenage girls,
www.grltlk.org.
The
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The
Mission of the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to
Celebrate the History, Honor the Heroes,
Inspire the Youth and Preserve the Legacy of Soccer
in the United States. Located in Oneonta, NY, the
National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a new 30,000 sq.
ft., state-of-the-art multimedia museum in 1999. The
Hall of Fame tells the story of soccer in America
through artifacts, photographs, video and written
narratives. The main VideoWall portrays some of the
greatest moments and the greatest goals in soccer
history as well as live soccer action from the World
Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. The Hall features
an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks Zone,
including a kid-sized indoor field, where visitors
have fun kicking, heading and playing computer
trivia stations and video soccer games. Unique and
rare artifacts on exhibit range from The Dewar Cup,
the oldest team trophy in U.S. Sport, to the Women’s
World Cup won by the USA in 1999, the uniforms of
Pele and Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly’s golden shoes,
NASL championship rings and MLS championship
trophies. That and so much more are all at the
National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the
interactive Museum, the National Soccer Hall of
Fame’s 61-acre complex boasts the Kicks Hall of Fame
Museum Store, a research library, four world-class
soccer fields and office/meeting facilities.
The
Century Council
The Century
Council’s mission is to promote responsible
decision-making regarding drinking or non-drinking
of beverage alcohol and to discourage all forms of
irresponsible consumption through education,
communications, research, law enforcement, and other
programs. Recognizing nearly fifteen years of
progress, America’s leading distillers have promoted
The Council’s mission by investing over $160 million
in its programs to fight drunk driving and underage
drinking. For more information about Girl Talk or
The Century Council, please visit
www.grltlk.org or
www.centurycouncil.org.
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