Background

Mariel Margaret Hamm was born on March 17, 1972 in Selma, Alabama, United States. She was the fourth of six children born into a military family. Her father, Will Hamm, was a colonel in the United States Army, and the family frequently moved as he was reassigned - to California, Alabama, Virginia, Texas and elsewhere. Hamm's mother, Stephanie, was a dancer, and she nicknamed her daughter Mia after prima ballerina Mia Slavenska.

Education

Mia rejected her mother's attempts to make her into a dancer. She refused to continue after just two ballet lessons when she was about six years old.

Hamm was already more interested in sports, especially soccer. When she was a toddler, her father was stationed in Florence, Italy. He bought season tickets to see the Fiorentina soccer club, and he often took Hamm to the games, where they both were mesmerized by the passion and athleticism of the players. When the family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas, her father started refereeing soccer games and coaching her older brother, Garrett, and older sister, Tiffany. Hamm started playing when she was five, and her father was often her coach.

Young Mia Hamm especially admired her brother's Garrett's soccer skills. Garrett often chose Hamm to play with him in pick-up games against older boys. She also played Little League baseball, softball, tennis, basketball, and even football as a young girl, and later took up golf. There were few or no girls' teams in any sports, including soccer, so Hamm often played with the boys. At Notre Dame Middle School, she was the split end and kicker on the football team.

Hamm played high school soccer as a freshman and sophomore at Notre Dame High School in Wichita Falls. At 15, Hamm became the youngest player ever selected to the women's national team. She played forward and filled in as a goalie for one international game. Hamm graduated from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. Anson Dorrance recruited her to play for his team at the University of North Carolina. His influence on Hamm was crucial to her development, especially since she lacked confidence. Dorrance once pulled her aside and told her that she could become the best player in the world.

At North Carolina, Hamm majored in political science and broke collegiate records as a soccer star. She played on four straight NCAA championship teams from 1989 through 1993, was a three-time National Player of the Year, and became the NCAA's all-time leading scorer. Hamm's 103 goals, 72 assists and 278 points were all collegiate records, as were her tournament career records of 16 goals, 9 assists and 41 points. Dorrance continued to urge her to work harder and develop her skills.

In 1991, Hamm took a sabbatical from college and spent a year training with the U.S. National team and playing in the first-ever Women's World Cup, held in China. Coached by Dorrance, the United States women won the world championship.

Career

In 1991, Hamm spent a year training with the United States National team and playing in the Women's World Cup in China. After graduating from the University of North Carolina, Hamm played exclusively for the women's national team. In the 1995 Women's World Cup, she played forward and midfielder. One game, she even filled in at goal-keeper when the United States keeper was red-carded and had to leave the game. She led the team to a third-place bronze medal finish.

The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, was the first in which women's soccer was a gold-medal sport. After many years of American girls playing the sport, it was time for soccer to take center stage, and Hamm was in the spotlight. Before the largest crowd in the history of women's soccer, 76,481, at the University of Georgia's Seaford Stadium, plus a huge television audience, the United States team took on China for the gold medal. Hamm, who was playing on a badly sprained ankle, was all over the field. In the 19th minute, she took a cross from Christine Lilly and shot it past the goalie. It hit the upright, and teammate Shannon MacMillan scored on the rebound. After China tied the score, Hamm took the ball into the right corner in the 68th minute, stopped and crossed the ball to Joy Fawcett, who fed Tiffeny Milbrett for the game-winning goal.

Olympic gold medals bring attention, and almost overnight Hamm, the biggest star on the United States team, became a celebrity. Advertisers hoped to connect her notoriety to the market of eight million female soccer players under the age of 18 in the United States. Hamm started doing commercials for Nike, a sponsor of the United States women's soccer team. Nike designed a women's sports shoe in her honor that featured her number 9. Hamm also did endorsements for Sportmart, Power Bar, Pert Plus shampoo and Pepsi.

Hamm had come to symbolize not only the ascendancy of soccer as an American sport, but the rise of women's athletics. She became a top role model and a much-in-demand speaker. Hamm participated widely in clinics for girls and exhibition games to promote soccer. She told audiences of young girls how soccer had transformed her from shy and uncertain to confident and strong. Hamm wrote an inspirational book, Go for the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life, which was part autobiography but primarily a soccer instructional manual filled with inspirational advice. In the book, she emphasized teamwork and practice as well as heart and attitude, insisting there was no place on a soccer team for an egotistical player with the aphorism "There is no me in Mia."

As Hamm grew increasingly comfortable as a role model for girls, she gradually shed the shyness and inhibition that were part of her personality. But she was reluctant to hog the spotlight and quick to credit others for her success. As for being labeled the world's greatest player, Hamm said it was mostly a matter of more attention being paid to goal scoring.

Hamm always promoted the sport above herself. She appeared at clinics and freely gave autographs at every opportunity, but often refused photo shoots for high-profile publications.

In 1997, Hamm participated in Nike's Victory Tour, an international competition played in six United States cities. Later that same year, Hamm was a top goal-scorer in the United States Women's Cup, scoring three goals against Canada and two against Australia.

In 1998, Hamm led the United States team with 20 goals and 20 assists in international play. In May 1999, Hamm set a new international scoring record with her 108th career goal. The goal-scoring record brought her more notoriety.

In 1999, Hamm went through a drought during World Cup qualifying rounds, going eight games without scoring. Defenses double- and even triple-teamed her. The World Cup, held in United States cities, was no disappointment, as Hamm and her teammates pushed women's soccer to new heights of popularity in the host country. More than 90,000 fans packed the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, for the championship game between the United States team and China, the most people ever to see a women's sporting event in history. Many of the United States fans were wearing replica Hamm jerseys with her number 9 on them. The United States won on a penalty kick by Brandi Chastain during a tie-breaker shootout after an exciting scoreless duel.

In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Hamm scored a goal and the United States women earned a 2-0 victory in the opening game against Norway. The United States and China played to a 1-1 draw, and then the United States beat Nigeria to advance to the semifinals against Brazil. Hamm scored the only goal in the semifinal game to give her a career total of 127 goals. In the championship game against arch-rival Norway, in front of a capacity crowd in Sydney and a global TV audience, the United States was trailing 2-1 with time running out. Hamm had an assist on the sole United States goal, by Tiffeny Milbrett. Ninety seconds into stoppage time, Hamm was in the right corner and lofted a high pass to Milbrett, who headed it into the goal for the equalizer. But Norway won the game in overtime.

In 2000, Hamm was a founder of the first women's professional soccer league, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), and she was counted on to provide the star power to make the league financially viable. She joined the Washington Freedom and appeared frequently at civic events to promote the new league and the Freedom team. Overcoming her quiet demeanor, Hamm often spoke of the need to support the league.

The Freedom drew a crowd of 34,148 for the league's inaugural game in 2001 and defeated the Bay Area Cyber Rays 1-0. Hamm, though battling injuries, dribbled past Chastain and drew a foul which set up the game-winning goal on a penalty kick. She started the first three games of the 2001 season as a midfielder, partly because she was recovering from a shoulder injury, then coach Jim Gabbara moved her back to forward.

Every place Washington played, attendance soared as young girls and their families came out to see Hamm. Attendance at games averaged 14,000 when Hamm appeared; without her, it averaged about 8,000.

She would spend up to 20 minutes after each game signing autographs. For the season, Hamm played six positions and scored only six goals. In September, however, she scored two goals in the United States national team's 4-1 win over Germany to extend her career record to 129.

In the off-season, Hamm underwent knee surgery. In 2002, she did not play until the Freedom's tenth game, when she entered wearing a knee brace in the 65th minute of play and seven minutes later scored a goal that gave Washington a 2-1 victory. Athough Hamm started only one game, she was the key player in Washington's playoff run. The team went 10-1-2 after she rejoined the squad, and she had eight goals and six assists, including three game-winning goals. Coming in fresh in the second half, Hamm would attack defenses in her old style. Even after turning 30, she was still a force to be reckoned with.

After retiring from competitive play in 2004, she remained involved in the sport. Notably, in 2014 Hamm became a co-owner - along with her husband, former baseball player Nomar Garciaparra, and numerous others - of the Los Angeles Football Club of Major League Soccer; the team began playing in 2018.

Achievements

• Mia Hamm is largely considered the best female soccer player in history. She was named Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 1997 and 1999. Hamm was also named one of the top three female soccer players of the twentieth century in the FIFA Female Player of the Century Award.
  
  Mia won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top female soccer player in 1993 and 1994. She also won the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1994 as the nation's top female athlete.
  
  In 2004, Mia Hamm and Michelle Akers were the only two women and Americans named to the FIFA 100. She was elected United States Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row and won three ESPY awards including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.
  
  Hamm was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, National Soccer Hall of Fame and World Football Hall of Fame.
  
  In December 2013 Mia was named to United States Soccer's USWNT All-Time Best XI. Hamm was also the recipient of the Golden Foot Legends Award.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide To Winning In Soccer And Life

    (Go for the Goal is not only the inspiring story of how a ...)

    1999
  • Winners Never Quit!

    (Winners Never Quit! can help with the emotional side of p...)

    2004

Religion

Religion was a big part of the Hamm family's life. They belonged to a small African-American church. Bill, Mia's father, wanted his family to experience life like the African-Americans did. Her mom was originally going to be a nun, but decided to raise a family. She was committed to her faith and dedicated herself to charitable causes. It set a strong example for young Mia, who later used her celebritism in many positive ways.

Views

In 1999, Mia founded the Mia Hamm Foundation following the death of her adopted brother Garrett. Dedicated to promoting awareness of and raising funds for families in need of a bone marrow or cord blood transplant, the foundation encourages people to register in the national bone marrow registry and provides funds to UNC Health Care and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. It also focuses on creating opportunities to empower women through sport.

Every year Hamm hosts a celebrity soccer game in Los Angeles to support the foundation.

Quotations: "I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion."

"I am building a fire, and everyday I train, I add more fuel. At just the right moment, I light the match."

"I've worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down."

"You may get skinned knees and elbows, but it's worth it if you score a spectacular goal."

"If you don't love what you do, you won't do it with much conviction or passion."

"There are always new, grander challenges to confront, and a true winner will embrace each one."

"The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking."

"Take your victories, whatever they may be, cherish them, use them, but don't settle for them."

"Being a good teammate is when you try to sprint down a ball that everyone thinks is going out of bounds. But you go after it anyways and you get it."

"Failure happens all the time. It happens every day in practice. What makes you better is how you react to it."

"The person that said winning isn't everything, never won anything."

"I hope all you young girls see yourself up there... we were just like you."

"It is not sacrifice if you love what you're doing."

"You can't just beat a team, you have to leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you again."

"Follow your heart and make it your decision."

"Sports have become increasingly more specialized, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be fun."

"Golf is social. It brings a lot of people together."

Personality

Mia Hamm exposes a lot of good character traits. She is an individual that has a good attitude. She gives back to her community with her charities. Mia Hamm is persistent, kind, intellectual and compassionate.

Physical Characteristics: Mia Hamm is 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall and weighs 126 lbs (57 kg).

Interests

• reading and cooking

• Sport & Clubs

  golf, gymnastics, swimming, and track and field

Connections

From 1995 to 2001 Hamm was married to her college sweetheart Christiaan Corry, a United States Marine Corps helicopter pilot. On November 22, 2003, she married then-Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. On March 27, 2007, Hamm gave birth to twin girls, Grace Isabella and Ava Caroline. In January 2012 the couple had a son, named Garrett Anthony.

Father:

Bill Hamm

Mother:

Stephanie Hamm

Spouse:

Nomar Garciaparra

(born July 23, 1973)

Nomar Garciaparra is an American retired Major League Baseball player and current SportsNet LA analyst. After playing parts of nine seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played shortstop, third base and first base for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics.

ex-spouse:

Christiaan Corry

Daughter:

Grace Isabella Garciaparra

(born March 27, 2007)

Daughter:

Ava Caroline Garciaparra

(born March 27, 2007)

Son:

Garrett Anthony Garciaparra

(born January 2012)

References

• Mia Hamm: On the Field with... Get an up-close look at this superstar athlete Mia Hamm with Matt Christopher, the number one sports series for kids.
  1998
• Great Americans in Sports: Mia Hamm This entry in a brand new line of sports biographies from Matt Christopher takes readers onto the field with a soccer legend.
  2015
• Mia Hamm's Twitter
• Mia Hamm's Facebook