Early life

Born in Selma, Alabama on March 17, 1972 to parents Bill and Stephanie Hamm, Mariel Margaret Hamm, nicknamed Mia, was the fourth of six children. Born with a club foot, she wore corrective shoes as a toddler. Hamm spent her childhood on United States Air Force bases with her parents and siblings. The family moved many times and resided in several places including San Antonio, Texas, and Italy. Florence, Italy is where Hamm was first introduced to soccer. Soon her whole family became very involved in the sport.

Hamm played sports beginning at a very young age. While in junior high school, she excelled as a football player on the boys' team. As a high school freshman and sophomore, she played soccer for Notre Dame Catholic High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. As a new player in 1987, and the youngest by over a year, she often started as a forward but never scored a goal. Hamm then attended Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia for one year, and helped the Lake Braddock soccer team win the 1989 state championships. Hamm's brother played sports, inspiring her to do so as well.

Playing career

College

Hamm attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she helped the Tar Heels win four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's championships in five years (she sat out the season of 1991 to concentrate on the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup in China). North Carolina only lost one game in the ninety five she played on the team. She was an All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) player of the year for her last three years. She also won ACC Female Athlete of the Year in 1993 and 1994.

Hamm was also a member of the American National college team that played in the 1993 Summer Universiade and lost to China, obtaining the silver medal. She was the leading scorer with six goals. She graduated from college with the ACC records for goals with 103, assists with 72, and total points with 278.

International

Women's national team, 1987-2004

1991 FIFA Women's World Cup

Hamm joined the United States women's national soccer team at the age of 15, becoming the youngest ever to play on the national team. In 1991, she was named to the roster for the inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup in China under North Carolina coach, Anson Dorrance. At 19 years old, she was the youngest player on the team. During the team's first match of the tournament, 14,000 people were in attendance as Hamm scored the game-winning goal in the 62nd-minute leading the U.S. to a 3-2 win over Sweden. The U.S. faced Brazil during their second group stage match on November 19. The U.S. won 5-0 with goals scored by Carin Jennings, Michelle Akers, Hamm, and two by April Heinrichs. The U.S. squad finished first in Group B after a third win against Japan on November 21 and advanced to knockout stage of the tournament. During the quarterfinal match against Chinese Taipei, the U.S. easily defeated their opponents 7-0. After defeating Germany 5-2 during the semifinal, the U.S. faced Norway in the final. In front of 63,000 spectators, the U.S. clinched the first World Cup championship title after a 2-1 win.

1995 FIFA Women's World Cup

During the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden, Hamm made her second World Cup appearance for the United States at age 23 - this time led by head coach Tony DiCicco. During the team's first match of the tournament on June 6, she scored the team's third goal in the 51st minute in what resulted as a 3-3 draw against China PR. The U.S. faced Denmark during its second group stage match. Goals from Kristine Lilly and Tiffeny Milbrett led to a 2-0 win for the U.S. Hamm played goalkeeper for a few minutes after the goalkeeper, Briana Scurry, received a red card and was removed from the match. After defeating Australia 4-1 on June, 10, the U.S. advanced to the knock-out stage and defeated Japan 4-0 in the quarter-final. The U.S. was defeated by eventual champion Norway 1-0 in the semifinals and captured third place after defeating China PR 2-0 on June 17. Hamm scored the U.S.' second goal of the match in the 55th minute.

1996 Olympics

Hamm was a key part of the U.S. team for the first women's Olympic soccer tournament at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Hamm scored one goal in five games as the host Americans won the gold medal. She was injured in the final moments of the gold-medal match, a 2-1 win over China, a game witnessed by a record crowd of more than 76,000 fans.

1999 FIFA Women's World Cup

Hamm again played for the U.S. National Team in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, hosted by the United States. She scored two goals. Hamm also connected on a penalty kick as the U.S. defeated China in a shootout in the final match. That match surpassed the Atlanta Olympic final as the most-attended women's sports event, with more than 90,000 people filling the Rose Bowl.

2004 Olympics

Hamm helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and was also chosen by her fellow U.S. Olympians to carry the American flag at the Athens Closing Ceremonies. After the Olympics, Hamm and her teammates went on a "farewell tour" of the United States, which ended on December 8, 2004 against Mexico at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. In the game, which the U.S. won 5-0, Hamm assisted on two of the goals. Hamm is one of three longtime national team members who announced their retirements from international play at the end of the tour; the others are longtime captain Julie Foudy and Joy Fawcett (Fawcett did not play due to back surgery after the Olympics). Hamm retired at age 32 with a record 158 international goals.

Upon her retirement, Hamm's #9 jersey was inherited by midfielder Heather O'Reilly.

Matches and goals scored at World Cup and Olympic tournaments

Hamm competed as a member of the United States national soccer team in four World Cup tournaments: China 1991, Sweden 1995, United States 1999 and United States 2003; and three Olympics tournaments: Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. All together, she played in 38 matches and scored 13 goals at seven global tournaments. With her teammates, Hamm finished third at two World Cup tournaments in 1995 and 2003, second at the 2000 Olympics, and first at the four other international tournaments.

	Key (expand for notes on “world cup and olympic goals”)
Location	Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred
Lineup	Start - played entire match on minute (off player) - substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time off minute (on player) - substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time (c) - captain
Min	The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal.
Assist/pass	The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information.
penalty or pk	Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.)
Score	The match score after the goal was scored.
Result	The final score. W - match was won L - match was lost to opponent D - match was drawn (W) - penalty-shoot-out was won after a drawn match (L) - penalty-shoot-out was lost after a drawn match
aet	The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation
pso	Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time
	Orange background color - Olympic women's football tournament
	Blue background color - FIFA women's world cup final tournament

Goal	Match	Date	Location	Opponent	Lineup	Min	Score	Result	Competition
China 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
1	1	1991-11-17	Panyu	Sweden	Start	62	3-0	3-2 W	Group stage
2	2	1991-11-19	Panyu	Brazil	Start	63	5-0	5-0 W	Group stage
	3	1991-11-21	Foshan	Japan	{{{4}}}. on 41' (off Jennings)			3-0 W	Group stage
	4	1991-11-24	Foshan	Chinese Taipei	Start			7-0 W	Quarter-final
	5	1991-11-27	Guangzhou	Germany	Start			5-2 W	Semifinal
	6	1991-11-30	Guangzhou	Norway	Start			2-1 W	Final
Sweden 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup Final
3	7	1995-06-06	Gavle	China PR	Start	51	3-1	3-3 D	Group stage
	8	1995-06-08	Gavle	Denmark	Start			2-0 W	Group stage
	9	1995-06-10	Helsingborg	Australia	Start			4-1 W	Group stage
	10	1995-06-13	Gavle	Japan	{{{4}}}. off 61' (on Keller)			4-0 W	Quarter-final
	11	1995-06-15	Vasteras	Norway	Start			0-1 L	Semifinal
4	12	1995-06-17	Gavle	China PR	Start	55	2-0	2-0 W	Third place match
Atlanta 1996 Olympic Women's Football Tournament
5	13	1996-07-21	Orlando	Denmark	{{{4}}}. off 75' (on Gabarra)	41	2-0	3-0 W	Group stage
	14	1996-07-23	Orlando	Sweden	{{{4}}}. off 85' (on Gabarra)			2-1 W	Group stage
	15	1996-07-28	Athens	Norway	Start			2-1 aet W	Semifinal
	16	1996-08-01	Athens	China PR	{{{4}}}. off 89' (on Gabarra)			2-1 W	Gold medal match
USA 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup
6	17	1999-06-19	E Rutherford	Denmark	{{{4}}}. off 88' (on Fair)	17	1-0	3-0 W	Group stage
7	18	1999-06-24	Chicago	Nigeria	{{{4}}}. off 57' (on MacMillan)	20	2-1	7-1 W	Group stage
	19	1999-06-27	Boston	Korea DPR	{{{4}}}. off 85' (on Milbrett)			3-0 W	Group stage
	20	1999-07-01	Washington	Germany	Start			3-2 W	Quarter-final
	21	1999-07-04	San Francisco	Brazil	{{{4}}}. off 85' (on Fair)			2-0 W	Semifinal
	22	1999-07-10	Los Angeles	China PR	Start			0-0 (pso 5-4) (W)	Final
Sydney 2000 Olympic Women's Football Tournament
8	23	2000-09-14	Melbourne	Norway	{{{4}}}. off 70' (on Parlow)	24	2-0	2-0 W	Group stage
	24	2000-09-17	Melbourne	China PR	Start			1-1 D	Group stage
	25	2000-09-20	Melbourne	Nigeria	{{{4}}}. off 70' (on Parlow)			3-1 W	Group stage
9	26	2000-09-24	Canberra	Brazil	{{{4}}}. off 79' (on Parlow)	60	1-0	1-0 W	Group stage
	27	2000-09-28	Sydney	Norway	Start			2-3 aet L	Gold medal match
USA 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup
	28	2003-09-21	Washington	Sweden	Start			3-1 W	Group stage
10	29	2003-09-25	Philadelphia	Nigeria	Start	6 pk	1-0	5-0 W	Group stage
11						12	2-0
	30	2003-10-01	Foxborough	Norway	Start			1-0 W	Quarter-final
	31	2003-10-05	Portland	Germany	Start			0-3 L	Semifinal
	32	2003-10-11	Carson	Canada	Start			3-1 W	Third place match
Athens 2004 Olympic Women's Football Tournament
12	33	2004-08-11	Heraklion	Greece	Start	82	3-0	3-0 W	Group stage
13	34	2004-08-14	Thessaloniki	Brazil	Start	58	1-0	2-0 W	Group stage
	35	2004-08-17	Thessaloniki	Australia	{{{4}}}. off 67' (on Tarpley)			1-1 D	Group stage
	36	2004-08-20	Thessaloniki	Japan	Start			2-1 W	Quarter-final
	37	2004-08-23	Heraklion	Germany	Start			2-1 aet W	Semifinal
	38	2004-08-26	Piraeus	Brazil	Start			2-1 aet W	Gold medal match

Club

Washington Freedom, 2001-03

For the majority of Hamm's career, there was no fully professional women's soccer league in the United States. As a result, she played in only three seasons of professional soccer. In 2001, she was a founding player in the newly established Women's United Soccer Association, the first professional soccer league for women in the United States, and played for the Washington Freedom.

During the league's inaugural match between the Freedom and Bay Area CyberRays in front of 34,148 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Hamm was granted a controversial penalty kick that her teammate Pretinha took and scored the first goal in the league. The Freedom won 1-0. In addition to the in-stadium attendance being greater than any MLS game that weekend, the Turner Network Television (TNT) broadcast reached 393,087 households: more than two MLS games broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2.

The league suspended operations indefinitely in September 2003, but Hamm finished her short club career as a champion when the Freedom won the Founders Cup in that final season.

Retirement

On May 14, 2004, Hamm announced her retirement effective after the 2004 Athens Olympics, expressing an interest in starting a family with her husband, Nomar Garciaparra. She retired from the sport in 2004, after playing her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics.

Honors and awards

Hamm was named the 1997 Sportswoman of the Year (in the team category) by the Women's Sports Foundation. On May 22, 1999, she broke the all-time international goal record with her 108th goal in a game against Brazil in Orlando, Florida. In June of the same year, Nike named the largest building on their corporate campus after Hamm. In December 2000, Hamm was named one of the top three female soccer players of the twentieth century in the FIFA Female Player of the Century Award, finishing behind only Sun Wen, and compatriot Michelle Akers.

In March 2004, Hamm and former U.S. teammate Michelle Akers were the only two women and Americans named to the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living soccer players selected by Pelé and commissioned by FIFA for the organization's 100th anniversary. Other accolades include being elected U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year five years in a row from 1994 to 1998, and winning three ESPY awards including Soccer Player of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.

During a friendly game against Australia on July 21, 2004, Hamm scored her 151st international goal setting the record for most international goals scored by any player in the world, male or female. She held the world record until Abby Wambach scored her 159th goal on June 20, 2013. The Australia match also marked Hamm's 259th international appearance; only two of her teammates, Kristine Lilly and Christie Rampone, have played in more international games.

In 2006, Hamm was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame followed by the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on March 11, 2008. In 2007, during her first year of eligibility, Hamm was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2008, an image of her silhouette was used in the logo for the second professional women's soccer league in the U.S.: Women's Professional Soccer

In 2013, Hamm became the first woman inducted into the World Football Hall of Fame located in Pachuca, Mexico.

In 2014, Hamm was named one of ESPNW's Impact 25; she was also the recipient of the Golden Foot Legends Award.

Championships

Year	Team	Championship/Medal
1989	UNC	NCAA National Champion
1990	UNC	NCAA National Champion
1991	USA women's national team	FIFA World Cup Champion
1992	UNC	NCAA National Champion
1993	UNC	NCAA National Champion
1995	USA women's national team	FIFA World Cup Third Place
1996	USA women's national team	Olympic Gold
1999	USA women's national team	FIFA World Cup Champion
2000	USA women's national team	Olympic Silver
2003	Washington Freedom	WUSA Founder's Cup Champion
2003	USA women's national team	FIFA World Cup Third Place
2004	USA women's national team	Olympic Gold

Style of play

Regarded as one of the greatest female footballers of all time, and by many as the best ever, Hamm was an athletic, dynamic, and technically gifted player, renowned for her speed, skill, footwork, stamina, and ability on the ball, as well as her consistency. An excellent, agile dribbler, she was highly regarded for her control, as well as her grace, pace, and elegance in possession. A prolfic goalscorer, she was known for her powerful and accurate striking ability, although she was also a creative and hard-working forward, and a team player, who was equally capable of assisting many goals for her team-mates, due to her accurate passing, and was also willing to aid her team-mates defensively when possession was lost. Due to her many attributes, she was capable of playing in any offensive position.

Personal life

Hamm was first married to her college sweetheart Christian Corry, a United States Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter pilot; they divorced in 2001 after being married six years. She married then-Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra on November 22, 2003, in Goleta, California in a ceremony attended by a few hundred guests. On March 27, 2007, Hamm gave birth to twin girls, Grace Isabella and Ava Caroline. Though born five weeks early, each girl weighed over 5 pounds (2.3 kg) at birth. The couple had a son, named Garrett Anthony, in January 2012.

Her adopted brother, Garrett Hamm, died on April 16, 1997 of complications from aplastic anemia, a rare blood disease. Hamm established the Mia Hamm Foundation in part to support patients and their families who benefit from bone marrow transplants. Some of Hamm's hobbies outside of soccer include cooking, golf, and watching college basketball.

Endorsements

Hamm has been called the most marketable female athlete of her generation. During her time as an international soccer player, she signed endorsement deals with Gatorade, Nike, Dreyer's Ice Cream, Pepsi, Nabisco, Fleet Bank, Earthgrains, Powerbar, and Mattel.

Philanthropy

Main article: Mia Hamm Foundation

In 1999, Hamm founded The Mia Hamm Foundation following the death of her brother Garrett in 1997 from complications of aplastic anemia. The non-profit organization is dedicated to promoting awareness of and raising funds for families in need of a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. The organization 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. Hamm hosts an annual celebrity soccer game in Los Angeles to support the foundation.

Other work

Hamm is a global ambassador for FC Barcelona. She is the author of the national bestseller Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide to Winning in Soccer and Life and juvenile fiction book Winners Never Quit and appeared in the HBO documentary Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.

In 2012, after Pia Sundhage's departure as head coach of the United States women's national soccer team, Hamm joined Danielle Slaton and Sunil Gulati as a member of the search committee for Sundhage's successor.

Los Angeles Football Club, 2017

In October 2014, it was announced that Hamm was a co-owner of the future Major League Soccer team located in Los Angeles.

A.S. Roma

Also in October 2014, Hamm joined the Board of Directors of Italian club A.S. Roma, owned by American investors.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]