Mia Hamm Bio And Facts

Mia Hamm

Mia Hamm, formally known as Mariel Margaret Hamm, is a retired U.S. women's national soccer player. Mia Hamm's soccer career started at age 15, making her the youngest women soccer player to ever make the national team. She then went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and led the team to four consecutive NCAA championships. After she graduated she moved on to play full time professional soccer for the U.S. national team.

Mia Hamm retired in 2004, and since then has remained active in the football community. Married to major league baseball player Nomar Garciaparra, she co-owns the Los Angeles Football Club of Major League Soccer. She is considered one of the all time greatest female soccer players and has published books telling her life and soccer career.

• Born: March 17, 1972 (17-03-1972)
• Education: Went to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Net Worth: 10 million dollars
• Occupation: Retired U.S. national women's soccer player
• Height: 5'4" (1.63 m)
• Weight: 125 pounds (57kg)
• Position: Forward
• Years Active: 17 years
• Career Wins: 2 Olympic gold medals, 2 World Cup Championships, and an Olympic silver medal
• Career Losses: Mia Hamm competed in four World Cup Championships, but the team only won two
• Nicknames: Mia is Hamm's nickname, from her full name being Mariel Margaret Hamm
• Teams: UNC women's soccer team and the U.S. women's national soccer team

Social Media

• Twitter
• Facebook
• Foundation Website

Soccer Career

Mia Hamm's soccer career began at 15, when she was the youngest soccer player to ever be on the national soccer team. Hamm then continued her education and soccer career at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Through her undergraduate four years, Hamm led the team to win four National Collegiate Athletic Association championships. After graduating from UNC, Hamm went directly to the U.S. women's national soccer team, where she played in 276 games. Hamm led the team to win four major championships, two World Cup championships, and Olympic gold medals.At 19 years old, Hamm was the youngest soccer player in history to win the World Cup. Mia Hamm retired in 2004 after the Summer Olympics and remains involved in soccer through co-owning the Los Angeles Football Club of Major League Soccer.

Titles and Awards

Mia Hamm broke and set many records for young women soccer players in the world. Hamm was the youngest player to join the women's national soccer team and the youngest in history to win a World Cup. In 2001 and 2002, Mia Hamm was named FIFA's "World Player of the Year." She led her college soccer team to four consecutive national championships. Hamm then went on to the national soccer team where she led the team to two World Cups and Olympic Gold medals. Hamm was the record holder for most international goals scored until 2013. From 1994-1998 Mia Hamm was named Soccer USA's "Female Athlete of the Year," and in 2004 she was put on the list of the "125 Greatest Living Soccer Players." That award made Mia Hamm and her teammate the only women and Americans on the list at the time.

Personal Life

Mia Hamm, full name Mariel Margaret Hamm, was born in Selma, Alabama on March 17, 1972. Hamm's father being an Air Force pilot made the family move often, but they always encouraged Hamm to continue her sports talents. In 1994, Hamm married her college boyfriend, Christian Cory. After a split in 2001, Hamm married Nomar Garciaparra who she is still married to now. In 2004, Hamm retired from professional soccer to focus on her family. She founded the Mia Hamm Foundation for bone marrow research after her brother Garrett died from a rare blood disease. Founded in 1999, the Mia Hamm Foundation raises funds for families in need of bone marrow or blood transplants and as a developmental foundation for women in sports. Mia Hamm is also a mother to twin girls, Grace, and Ava, who were born in 2007.

Fun Facts

• Mia Hamm is a national bestselling author of Go For the Goal: A Champion's Guide for Winning in Soccer and Life.
• Hamm has also written a kids fiction book, Winner Never Quits.
• Mia Hamm's father was a pilot in the Air Force and her mother was a ballerina.
• Mia Hamm retired in 2004 with a total number of 158 goals in international competition, which set the record until 2013.
• Mia Hamm is featured in a popular documentary on the U.S. national women's soccer team, 'Dare to Dream: The Story of the U.S. Women's Soccer Team,' which was released in 2005.
• Mia Hamm is still considered one of the greatest female soccer players of all time and has built the strongest fan base in the women's soccer world.
• In 2015, Mia Hamm released her biography telling her early life and soccer career.

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