Mia Hamm

Who Is Mia Hamm?

Mia Hamm is widely regarded as the greatest female soccer player in history. With a career spanning 17 years, she became a defining figure in women’s sports, earning one of the largest fan bases of any American athlete. Hamm’s remarkable achievements include two Women’s World Cup titles (1991 and 1999) and Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2004. She held the record for the most international goals scored until June 2013, when fellow American Abby Wambach surpassed her.

Early Life and Career

Born Mariel Margaret Hamm on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama, Hamm grew up in a military family and moved frequently during her childhood. She credits her brother Garrett with encouraging her athletic pursuits. At just 15 years old, Hamm became the youngest player to join the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. She later attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she led the team to four consecutive NCAA Women’s Championships. Throughout her career, Hamm’s talent and leadership made her a dominant force in women’s soccer. In recognition of her exceptional skill, she was named FIFA’s “World Player of the Year” in both 2001 and 2002.

Olympic Gold and Achievements

Hamm’s international success began in 1991 when, at the age of 19, she became the youngest member of the U.S. team to win the Women’s World Cup. She was also part of the U.S. team that secured gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, marking the first time women’s soccer was included in the Olympic Games. The U.S. team repeated this success with another gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

In 1999, Hamm set a new record for the most international goals scored, surpassing the previous record of Italian player Elisabetta Vignotto. Hamm held this record until 2013, when Abby Wambach broke it. Her career also includes numerous accolades, such as being named Soccer USA’s “Female Athlete of the Year” for five consecutive years (1994-1998), earning MVP honors at the 1995 Women’s Cup, and winning three ESPY Awards, including for “Soccer Player of the Year” and “Female Athlete of the Year.” In 2004, Hamm and teammate Michelle Akers were named to FIFA’s list of the “125 Greatest Living Soccer Players,” marking a historic moment as the only women and Americans included at that time.

Hamm’s legacy extends far beyond her on-field accomplishments, as she has paved the way for future generations of female athletes and remains an influential figure in the world of sports.

Life Off the Field

In 1994, Mia Hamm married her college sweetheart, Christiaan Corry. The couple separated in 2001, and in 2003, Hamm married professional baseball player Nomar Garciaparra. After leading her team to a gold medal victory at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Hamm retired from professional soccer to focus on starting a family.

In 1999, Hamm founded the Mia Hamm Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing bone marrow research. This initiative was inspired by the tragic loss of her brother, Garrett, who passed away from complications related to aplastic anemia shortly after the 1996 Olympics.