Heather Mitts

Heather Mitts

Mitts in May 2010
Personal information
Full name	Heather Blaine Mitts Feeley
Date of birth	June 9, 1978 (1978-06-09)
Place of birth	Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Atlanta Beat
Number	2
Youth career
1996–1999	University of Florida
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2000	Tampa Bay Extreme
2001–2003	Philadelphia Charge	51	(0)
2005	Central Florida Krush	4	(0)
2009	Boston Breakers	19	(0)
2010	Philadelphia Independence	17	(0)
2011–	Atlanta Beat	8	(0)
National team‡
1999–	United States	121	(2)
Honours Competitor for United States Olympic Games - Women's Football Gold 2004 Athens Team Competition Gold 2008 Beijing Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:07, 28 October 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of February 2, 2012

Heather Blaine Mitts Feeley (born June 9, 1978) is an American professional soccer player who is a defender in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league. Mitts played college soccer for the University of Florida, and thereafter, she has played professionally for the Philadelphia Charge, Boston Breakers, Philadelphia Independence and Atlanta Beat of WPS. She is also a member of the United States women's national soccer team, and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Playing career

Early life and university

Mitts was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1978. She attended St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, where she played high school soccer. She received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Becky Burleigh's Florida Gators women's soccer team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1996 to 1999.

Mitts was part of the defensive line that helped the Gators win their first-ever NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in 1998. She was named a third-team All-American in 1998 and a first-team All-American in 1999, and became the Gators' all-time record holder in appearances (95), starts (94), and minutes played (7,547). She graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in advertising in 2000.

Mitts with the Independence in May 2010

Professional clubs

Straight out of college, Mitts played for Tampa Bay Extreme of W-League in 2000 while waiting for the launch of the new Women's United Soccer Association league.

Upon the WUSA's launch and inaugural season in 2001, Mitts was drafted to the Philadelphia Charge. With the club, she appeared in twenty games (1,751 minutes) in the inaugural season and added two assists. Throughout her Charge career, Mitts appeared in fifty-one games (4,414 minutes) and recorded eight assists over three seasons. She was named as a WUSA All-Star in 2003. Unfortunately, after the 2003 season, the WUSA ceased operations.

Mitts returned to W-League in 2005, playing sparingly for Central Florida Krush while splitting her time between the United States Women's National Team. She appeared in four games (360 minutes).

Upon the introduction of Women's Professional Soccer, Mitts and fellow USWNT players Angela Hucles and Kristine Lilly were allocated to Boston Breakers on September 16, 2008. In the inaugural 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season, Mitts appeared in nineteen games (all starts, 1,631 minutes) and added an assist. After the season, the Boston Breakers declared Mitts a free agent.

On October 14, 2009, Mitts signed with 2010 WPS expansion team Philadelphia Independence, marking her return to play professional soccer in Philadelphia following the demise of the WUSA's Charge.

For the 2011 season of WPS, she is playing right defensive back for the Atlanta Beat.

International

Mitts is a two-time Olympic gold-medalist as a member of the U.S. National Women's team in the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and has represented the United States in over 100 international matches. She was also a member of the U.S. national team who finished second in the 2006 Algarve Cup.

On May 12, 2007, Mitts tore her ACL in an international friendly match with Canada. The injury put Mitts out of contention for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.

On May 9, 2011, Mitts was named to the U.S. roster for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup tournament in Germany.

Personal

Mitts is known for her her athletic ability and her looks, and as a result, has delved into the world of modeling. In 2001, Mitts was voted as the sexiest player in the WUSA on Playboy Online. In addition, she appeared on the cover of Philadelphia magazine in June 2002 as one of the city's "Sexiest Singles." In 2004, she was voted ESPN.com’s "Hottest Female Athlete". She also appeared in the 2005 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Mitts has parlayed her looks into a number of television commentary jobs. She has served as a studio analyst for ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 during the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup and was a sideline reporter for several MLS broadcasts in 2005. In addition to soccer, she also was a sideline reporter for college football during 2005 for ESPN.

After several years of an on-again-off-again relationship, Mitts married NFL quarterback A.J. Feeley in February 2010.

See also

• Florida Gators
• List of Florida Gators soccer players
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians

External links

• Heather Mitts – FIFA competition record
• Official website
• Heather Mitts on Myspace
• US Soccer profile
• WPS profile
• WUSA player profile