Born: March 17, 1972
Place of Birth: Selma, Alabama
Major Notes:
Mia Hamm is the youngest player ever to make the United States national soccer team.
Hamm's father was in the military and the family moved to several places around the world.
She took an early interest in soccer by watching it on television in the places they moved to.
Hamm also was influenced by her older brother who took part in various local sports and helped her develop soccer skills.
Unfortunately, her brother contacted a rare disease at 16 later requiring a bone marrow transplant.
By Age 15, Mia Hamm had played for the national team coached by Anson Dorrance who was very impressed by her play.
In 1989, Dorrance became Hamm's legal guardian when her parents had to move to Rome.
That same year, she entered the University of North Carolina where Dorrance also coached.
Hamm and the teams she played on continued to win championships with her leadership.
When her college career ended, she held the ACC records for goals, assists, and points.
In 1994, Hamm was honored in that her UNC jersey number 19 was formally retired.
Hamm's brother died shortly after watching her help the United States win the 1996 Olympics.
In 1999, the Mia Hamm Foundation was formed to support bone marrow transplant patients and their families, and to help provide opportunities for young girls in sports.
Hamm decided to play professional soccer for the Washington Freedom in the newly formed Women's United Soccer Association in 2001 and again was a team and league-leading scorer.
The league folded three years later but Hamm helped the US to win another gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.
Mia Hamm, through her work on the soccer field and off, has proven to be an excellent role model for women around the world.
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