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Feb. 21, 2006 In 1999, interest in women’s soccer reached a fever pitch in the United States. Stars like Brandi Chastain and Mia Hamm dominated the headlines, the magazine covers and the endorsements after the US Women’s National Team won the World Cup that year in Pasadena. But playing along with them was one of the greatest African-American athletes few people outside of the soccer world even know about. Briana Scurry was born in Minneapolis on September 9, 1971, the youngest of nine children. She grew up in the suburb of Anoka, north of Minneapolis, and became a top athlete in high school there, making all-state as a basketball player and earning recognition as Minnesota’s top female athlete. After high school, Scurry went east to play soccer at the University of Massachusetts. In 65 collegiate starts, she compiled a 48-13-4 record in goal, with 368 total saves, 37 shutouts and a 0.65 goals-against average. In her senior year, she led the Minutewomen to the Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships, and helped them reach the Final Four. She also received two national goalkeeper-of-the-year awards that year, and was third in the nation with a 0.48 goals-against average. On March 16, 1994, Scurry made her debut with the US Women’s National Team in grand style, recording her first win (and first shutout) against Portugal, on their home turf. It was one of seven shutouts that she recorded that year, in twelve starts. She was also in goal when the team won the CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament in Montreal later that year. In 1995, she received her degree in political science from UMass. She also helped the US to a third-place finish in the Women’s World Cup in Sweden, but injured her back later that year in an automobile accident and was unable to participate in that year’s US Women’s Cup tournament. The next year, 1996, proved to be a special one for women’s soccer when the US team won the gold medal at the Centennial Olympic Games held in Atlanta. Scurry played every minute of the five games her team played, recording two shutouts and allowing just three goals. Afterward, she fulfilled a promise to run naked through the streets of nearby Athens, the home of the University of Georgia and site of the women’s soccer venue, to celebrate the victory. Scurry also played every minute of the 1999 World Cup, notching four shutouts and allowing a total of five goals. It was her play in goal during that final game against China that forced a shootout, and set up one of the most famous moments in sports—Brandi Chastain’s successful shootout kick and the celebration that followed on the floor of the Rose Bowl. Between that first game in Portugal and the World Cup triumph in Pasadena, Briana Scurry became the most successful goalkeeper in the history of women’s soccer in the United States. But injuries and lack of physical conditioning, after a whirlwind of media interviews and public appearances, eventually took their toll. She lost her job as the starting goalkeeper for the US Women’s National Team in 2000 to Siri Mullinix. Mullinix played every minute for the team at the Sydney Olympics, but with Scurry on the bench, the United States lost to Norway in the gold-medal game. Determined to return to form, Scurry set her sights on the world of professional soccer, when she joined the Atlanta Beat as its goalkeeper in 2001. The Beat was one of eight teams in a new league called the Women’s United Soccer Association, or WUSA. Scurry was one of the league’s twenty founding players, all of whom like Scurry had been on the National Team at some point in time. She led the Beat to three playoff appearances—the only team to accomplish that feat in the league’s three seasons of operation—and to appearances in two Founders Cup title matches. With a renewed commitment to the game, and in better mental and physical condition, Briana Scurry regained her spot as the National Team’s top goaltender in 2003. Because of a SARS outbreak, FIFA moved that year’s World Cup celebration from China to the United States, giving Scurry and the National Team another opportunity to make history on friendly soil. They didn’t win the tournament, but did pick up third place with a 3-1 win over Canada. In 2004, with the limelight shining on retiring teammates Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy, and Mia Hamm, Scurry shined in goal once more, leading the National Team to victory over Brazil to win the Olympic gold medal in Athens. At the conclusion of the Athens Games, Scurry had recorded 120 wins, including 71 shutouts, for the National Team, both records for the team’s goalkeeper position. Briana Scurry made a name for herself in a sport that has only in recent years found a real audience among African-Americans. Her legacy of success at the college and professional levels will stand as a watermark for future generations of US-born soccer players of all races, and have earned her distinction as a Living Groundbreaker. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written a number of articles for Useless Knowledge. He works as a business systems analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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