Gator Great Abby Wambach was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame tonight. [photo credit: left-Alan Campbell and right-Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE]
Gator Great Abby Wambach Inducted into U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame
Saturday, September 21, 2019 | Soccer
The international goals leader was inducted the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame tonight in Frisco, Texas
Gator All-Time Great Abby Wambach was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame tonight in Frisco, Texas.
As a Florida Gator:
Before she set the international goals record (184), Wambach was scoring goals for the Florida Gators. Her collegiate total of 96 goals, 50 assists and 242 points still holds Florida and Southeastern Conference records.
She was twice named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America team (2001, 1999) and earned All-SEC and All-America honors every year. Wambach also garnered the 2000 and 2001 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player and SEC Player of the Year awards, becoming the first player in league history to win player of the year or tournament MVP honors in consecutive seasons. In her senior season, she was a finalist for all national player of the year awards – Hermann, Missouri Athletic Club, Honda and SoccerBuzz.com.
Post College:
After her collegiate career concluded in 2001 with the Gators' second NCAA Women's College Cup appearance (Florida won the NCAA title in Wambach's freshman season), Wambach began capturing the attention of the U.S. National Team staff. She was part of four Women's World Cups - 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 – winning gold with the 2015 team. She won gold medals in both Olympics in which she played, 2004 and 2012, missing the 2008 event after suffering a broken leg in the U.S.'s final pre-Olympic match. She played 19 games in those four World Cups, scoring 14 goals, and 11 games in her two Olympics, scoring nine goals.
She made 255 full international appearances in her U.S. Senior National team career that spanned from 2001-2015. The 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, Wambach also claimed the U.S. Soccer Federation women's athlete of the year six times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012) and the 2014 Concacaf female player of the year. She was named the 2011 AP Female Athlete of the Year, becoming the first individual soccer player – male or female – to pick up the AP sport honor in its 81-year history.
The second overall pick in the 2002 WUSA draft, Wambach played many seasons in professional soccer (last played in the WUSA in 2003; last played in WPS in 2007; last played in the NWSL in 2014).
More from U.S. Soccer
Abby Wambach: The Game's Greatest Goal Scorer (Sept. 17, 2019)
Abby Wambach – We're Not Worthy by Jonah Fontela (Sept. 17, 2019)
As a Florida Gator:
Before she set the international goals record (184), Wambach was scoring goals for the Florida Gators. Her collegiate total of 96 goals, 50 assists and 242 points still holds Florida and Southeastern Conference records.
She was twice named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America team (2001, 1999) and earned All-SEC and All-America honors every year. Wambach also garnered the 2000 and 2001 SEC Tournament Most Valuable Player and SEC Player of the Year awards, becoming the first player in league history to win player of the year or tournament MVP honors in consecutive seasons. In her senior season, she was a finalist for all national player of the year awards – Hermann, Missouri Athletic Club, Honda and SoccerBuzz.com.
Post College:
After her collegiate career concluded in 2001 with the Gators' second NCAA Women's College Cup appearance (Florida won the NCAA title in Wambach's freshman season), Wambach began capturing the attention of the U.S. National Team staff. She was part of four Women's World Cups - 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 – winning gold with the 2015 team. She won gold medals in both Olympics in which she played, 2004 and 2012, missing the 2008 event after suffering a broken leg in the U.S.'s final pre-Olympic match. She played 19 games in those four World Cups, scoring 14 goals, and 11 games in her two Olympics, scoring nine goals.
She made 255 full international appearances in her U.S. Senior National team career that spanned from 2001-2015. The 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year, Wambach also claimed the U.S. Soccer Federation women's athlete of the year six times (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012) and the 2014 Concacaf female player of the year. She was named the 2011 AP Female Athlete of the Year, becoming the first individual soccer player – male or female – to pick up the AP sport honor in its 81-year history.
The second overall pick in the 2002 WUSA draft, Wambach played many seasons in professional soccer (last played in the WUSA in 2003; last played in WPS in 2007; last played in the NWSL in 2014).
| Abby Wambach's Soccer Legacy |
| As a Gator (1998-2001) |
| ● 2001 & 1999 NSCAA All-American |
| ● 2001, 2000, 1999 & 1998 All-American |
| ● 2001, 2000 SEC Player of the Year |
| ● 2001, 2000, 1999 & 1998 All-Southeastern Conference team |
| ● 2001, 2000 SEC Tournament MVP / 1999 SEC All-Tournament team |
| ● Owns Florida career records for goals (96), assists (50) and points (242) |
| ● Entered Florida Athletics Hall of Fame in April 2012 |
| Post-UF |
| ●All-time leading goal scorer in men's or women's international soccer history (184) |
| ●Part of U.S.'s 2003 (bronze), 2007 (bronze), 2011 (silver), 2015 (gold) FIFA World Cup teams |
| ●Member of U.S.'s 2004 (gold) and 2012 (gold) Olympic teams |
| ●2012 FIFA World Player of the Year |
| ●2012, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2004, 2003 U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year |
| ●14 career World Cup goals shares second all-time |
More from U.S. Soccer
Abby Wambach: The Game's Greatest Goal Scorer (Sept. 17, 2019)
Abby Wambach – We're Not Worthy by Jonah Fontela (Sept. 17, 2019)
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