Mia is widely recognized as the world's best all-around women's soccer player. In Atlanta at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games she proved it by leading her team to Team Gold in front of 80,000 screaming fans in Athens, Georgia. Never in history had so many spectators come out to watch a women's sporting event. The Games highlighted female athletes like no other time in modern history and Mia emerged as one of the Game's true examples for people of all ages who have a dream and go for it. The 1999 Women's World Cup, where the USA took home the championship in front of 40 million viewers in this country alone, sold over 650,000 tickets, including sellouts at Giants Stadium and the Rose Bowl. There is no stopping women's soccer and Mia's enormous impact, both on and off the field.

Mia played collegiately at UNC and led her team to four consecutive NCAA championships. Her awards and accomplishments only tell part of the story of this remarkable athlete; she gives much of her precious free time to charitable causes and strives, in anything she does, to promote women's athletics, the sport of soccer, and a feeling of confidence and sense of purpose in young people.

Mia was the youngest player ever to play for our National Team (age 15) and retired in 2004 after 17 years, 2 World Championships, and 2 Olympic Gold medals. Her records in appearances and goals, MVP awards and overall performance put her at the top of the sport. As Phil Knight, Chairman of Nike says, "I think we've had three athletes who just played at a level that added a new dimension to their games. That's been Michael Jordan, in basketball, and in some ways Mia Hamm in women's soccer and Tiger Woods in golf." In April of 1999, Nike named the largest building on its corporate campus after Mia.

Having seen the enormous support her and her teammates received at the '96 and '00 Games, Mia became a founding member of the Women's United Soccer Association and led the Washington Freedom to the Founder's Cup. Poised, articulate and honest, Mia is a pioneer in her sport and a role model for athletes and fans alike who believe in equal opportunity, Title IX legislation, and the love of the game.

AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

- Youngest woman (at age 15) ever to play with the U.S. National Team (1987)

- Won 4 NCAA championships with the University of North Carolina (1989, 1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team (1989 & 1990)

- All-American and ACC Player of the Year (1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Led the nation in scoring at the collegiate level (1990, 1992, & 1993)

- Youngest player (at age 19) on the World Championship-winning U.S. Team at FIFA Women's World Cup (1991)

- Won the Missouri Athletic Club and Hermann Awards for Outstanding Collegiate Soccer (1992 & 1993)

- Completed collegiate career as ACC's all-time leading scorer in goals (103), assists (72) and points (278) (1993)

- Leading scorer (with six goals) of silver medal winning U.S. Team at the World Univeristy Games (1993)

- Named U.S. Soccer's Female Athlete of the Year (1994 -1998)

- Had her UNC number (19) retired (1994)

- Received the prestigious Honda-Broderick Award as the nation's outstanding female collegiate athlete (1994 & 1995)

- First place, U.S. CONCACAF Qualifying Championship - scored six goals in three games (1994)

- Third-place, U.S. Team FIFA Women's World Championships; started all games and scored twice during Cup (1995)

- U.S. Women's Cup in Norway - Selected tournament's MVP with five goals and six assists (1995)

- Member of the Gold Medal winning 1996 U.S. Olympic Team in Atlanta

- Named to People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list (1997)

- U.S. Women's Cup MVP for the second time (1997)

- Women's Sports Foundation Team Athlete of the Year (1997)

- Nominee and finalist, U.S. Olympic Committee's Sportswoman of the Year (1996 & 1997)

- Winner, ESPN's "Espy" award for Female Athlete of the Year (1998)

- Amateur Athletic Foundation World Trophey recipient (1998)

- Member of Gold-Medal winning team at the Goodwill Games in New York City (1998)

- First U.S. player to score 100 goals in their career, scored at U.S. Cup in Rochester (1998)

- Became the world's leading goal scorer in international competition, male or female (1999)

- Had Nike's largest building on it's corporate campus named after her (1999)

- Formed the Mia Hamm Foundation (1999)

- Lead the U.S. to the World Championship at FIFA Women's World Cup (1999)

- Winner, ESPN's "Espy" award for Female Athlete of the Year and Soccer Player of the Year (1999)

- Member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team -- awarded Silver Medal in Sydney

- Founding member of the Women's United Soccer Association (2001)

- Began career in WUSA with the Washington Freedom & led all Freedom scorers in goals & assists (2001)

- Named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year (2001 & 2002)

- Averaged a goal every 63 minutes and tallied 3 game-winning goals for the Freedom (2001)

- Led Freedom to Founder's Cup championship game (2002)

- Best season in the WUSA: Led the WUSA in assists with 11 and tied for the league-lead in game-winning goals with 4 (2003)

- Assisted in Washington Freedom's success as Founder's Cup Champions (2003)

- Graced the cover of Sports Illustrated in September; only the second female soccer player to appear on the cover (2003)

- Member of Bronze Medal-winning U.S. Team at the FIFA Women's World Cup -- her fourth appearance in a World Cup tournament (2003)

- Currently holds record as world's all-time leading scorer, male or female, with 158 goals scored in international competition (December 2004)

-Member of 2004 U.S. Olympic Team--awarded Gold Medal in Athens, Greece.

-Elected as first soccer player to carry the U.S. Flag for the Olympic Closing Ceremonies (2004)

-Played her last international soccer game of her career on December 8, 2004 in Carson, CA.