Young USA Athlete Heather Mitts Enjoys Careers in Soccer, Broadcasting, and Non-Profit Work

Heather Mitts, known as much for her beauty as her soccer skills, was born on June 9, 1978 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She picked up a soccer ball at age six and by high school picked up a full soccer scholarship to the University of Florida.

In 2001, Mitts played in the Nike Women's Cup. After majoring in advertising, Mitts went on to play for the Tampa Bay Extreme and later the Philadelphia Chargers. In her three seasons with the Chargers, Mitts started all 51 games and was named the WUSA All-Star in 2003. She played 4414 minutes in her WUSA career.

As a defender for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, Mitts won a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Mitts was featured in FHM and Maxim and was named ESPN.com's hottest female athlete of 2004. In 2005, Mitts played in the Algarve Cup. She is still playing on the WUSA team with more than 2200 minutes and two goals logged. Mitts currently boast several broadcasting gigs for ABC and ESPN2 and is a columnist for ESPN Soccernet.

In terms of philanthropy, Mitts is active with Special Olympics and Century Council, a non-profit group that sponsors Girl Talk. Girl Talk encourages mothers to talk with their daughters about the dangers of underage drinking. Mitts also runs a soccer camp in Cincinnati for girls ages 8 to 13. The 2006 dates are June 24 and 25.

Mitts dates Miami Dolphins quarterback A.J. Freely. The couple posed together for the 2005 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

For the Heather Mitts official site, click here.