Michelle Akers

Michelle Akers was one of the greatest ever female footballers (soccer) and in 2002 was named by FIFA as the Female Player of the Century, an honor she shared with China’s Sun Wen. Akers played in college at the University of Central Florida, where she was a four-time All-American, won the 1988 Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top player, and had her #10 retired by the school.

Akers joined the US National Team in 1985, and played for the US at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, winning gold, and the 1991, 1995 and 1999 World Cup Teams, winning the title in 1991 and 1999. In 1992 she won the Golden Boot as the top scorer at the World Cup. Akers also played on the gold-medal winning team at the 1998 Goodwill Games. She remained on the US National Team into 2000, but retired prior to the Sydney Olympics.

Akers was diagnosed in 1994 with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but still managed to play well despite that debilitating illness. She was careful with her preparation, her diet, and her training to avoid the major ill effects of CFS. Akers was capped 153 times, scoring 105 international goals. She scored 13 goals in her Olympic and World Cup appearances. Akers eventually settled near Atlanta where she ran a ranch that cared for abused and abandoned horses, along with occasional other animals.