#41: Mia Hamm: The Original Soccer Star
We wouldn’t have today’s greats like Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe if it weren’t for Mia Hamm. Hamm was one of the biggest athletes of the 1990s, and she brought unprecedented national attention and popularity to women’s soccer. She played on Team USA when they won the World Cup in 1991 and 1999, and was part of the Olympic teams that won Gold medals in 1996 and 2004.
Hamm made a record-breaking 158 goals playing in international competitions, which was the highest record held for any soccer player, man or woman. She held that record until 2013, when Abby Wambach broke it. After she retired from soccer in 2004, she went on to start her own foundation that advocates for women in sports and funds bone marrow research.