Born Mariel Margret Hamm, and known by the nickname of "Mia," she grew up a "military brat" to parents Colonel Bill and Mrs. Stephanie Hamm. She and her five siblings spent their childhoods on different Air Force bases throughout the world in such places as California, Texas, Virginia, and Italy. While in Italy, her father fell in love with soccer and encouraged her to play, but she played any sport that was in season. "You moved to a new base and had new friends as soon as you joined a team," she says. Eventually she adapted to soccer, as it was her older brother Garrett’s favorite pastime.
Under the guidance of Coach Anson Dorrance she joined the American National team at age 15, becoming its youngest member. Mia followed Dorrance to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where she led the Tar Heels in four national championships, while earning All-America honors three years and finishing as the ACC's all-time leading scorer. She graduated from UNC in 1994 with a degree in political science.
The pair went to China in 1991, where the U.S. won the inaugural Women's World Cup. As the youngest member on this team, Mia started five of six games and scored an impressive pair of goals. This first-ever three-time U.S. Soccer athlete of the year (1994-1996), then became a member of the Gold Medal winning U.S. Women's National Team at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games.
Her dedication, skill, and love of the sport of soccer is apparent every time she steps onto the field. Recognizing how fortunate she is to have had the opportunity to play, the tremendous impact it has had on her life, and the death of her brother Garrett from aplastic Anemia, Hamm pledged to make a difference.
She created the Mia Hamm Foundation to raise funds for bone marrow transplant patients and families . With the support of founding partners Nike, and Gatorade, the foundation will also develop programs and initiatives for young female athletes.