Mia Hamm

Guide Note:

Mia Hamm is a former women's soccer forward who played in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the 2004 Athens Olympics, winning two gold and one silver medal in the process. Hamm is now retired, and is currently married to Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: March 17, 1972
2. School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
3. Married: Twice, Christian Corry, 1994 to 2001; Nomar Garciaparra, 2003 to present.
4. Two-time Olympic Gold Medal
5. 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Gold
6. 2000 Sydney Olympics: Silver
7. 2004 Athens Olmypics: Gold
8. Birthplace: Selma, Alabama

Hamm was born in Alabama, but lived in Texas and Virginia before attending university at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill beginning in 1989. There, Hamm was a member of both the Tar Heels soccer program and the U.S. National Team, and helped her school win four national championships in her four years at the institution. While at UNC, Hamm helped the national team win the FIFA Womens World Cup for the first time.

Hamm competed in three straight Olympics as part of the U.S. national team, and helped the United States bring home gold medals in the 1996 Atlanta contest, as well as the 2004 Athens contest. At the same time, Hamm set the record for most international goals by a woman in 1999 when she scored her 108th.

In 2001, Hamm became the star player for Washington Freedom, a women's professional soccer team part of the Women's United Soccer Association. The Association folded in 2003 after it ran out of funds. In 2004, Hamm retired from soccer, citing her desire to be with her new family with Garciaparra, and in 2007, she was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. She is currently the head of the Mia Hamm Foundation.