Kate Markgraf facts for kids
Markgraf in Ethiopia in July 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kathryn Michele Markgraf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | August 23, 1976 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pontiac, Michigan, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | United States (general manager) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1994 | Detroit Country Day School | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Boston Breakers | 51 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | KIF Örebro DFF | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Michigan Hawks | 27 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Chicago Red Stars | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2010 | United States | 201 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Marquette Golden Eagles (assistant) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Kate Markgraf (born August 23, 1976) is a famous American soccer player. She used to be a defender for the United States women's national soccer team. She also played for professional teams like the Chicago Red Stars and the Boston Breakers.
Kate Markgraf won many awards during her career. She earned three Olympic medals: a silver in 2000 and two golds in 2004 and 2008. She also played in three FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, winning gold in 1999 and bronze in 2003 and 2007. She played in 201 games for the U.S. National Team over 12 years.
In 2023, Kate Markgraf was added to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for great soccer players.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Kate Markgraf was born in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. She went to Detroit Country Day School. There, she helped her school's soccer team win the state championship in 1991. She scored 16 goals and made 26 assists that year! She was also a good volleyball player. In soccer, she was chosen for the All-American team once and the All-State team three times.
Playing at Notre Dame University
After high school, Kate went to the University of Notre Dame. She studied Science-Business. She was an amazing soccer player there too. She was named an All-American three times. She was also the best defensive player in her conference in 1997. In 1995, her team won the NCAA women's soccer championship. She was even a co-captain of the team in her final year.
Playing Career: From Clubs to Country
Club Teams (2001–2010)
Kate Markgraf played for the Boston Breakers for three seasons. She was named the best defender for the Breakers in 2001. In 2005, she played in Sweden for a team called KIF Örebro. She played alongside her U.S. teammate Kristine Lilly.
Kate was supposed to play for the Chicago Red Stars in 2009. But she was expecting her second child, so she took a break. Ten months after having twins, she returned to the Red Stars in 2010. She played almost every minute of the season and was chosen for the All-Star team. This was her last year playing professional soccer.
Playing for the United States (1998–2010)
In 1998, Kate Markgraf played her first game for the U.S. National Team. She was one of the youngest players on the team that won the 1999 World Cup. The LA Times even picked her as one of the top 11 players in that tournament.
She played in three Olympic Games. She won a silver medal in 2000 and gold medals in 2004 and 2008. She was also a co-captain for the 2008 team. Kate played in three FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments. She won the World Cup in 1999. Her teams also finished third in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.
In 2010, Kate played her 200th international game for the U.S. team. This is a huge achievement! She became only the 10th woman in soccer history to play 200 games for her country. No male player has reached this number. After playing 201 games for her country, she announced her retirement from soccer.
Life After Playing: Broadcasting
After retiring from playing, Kate Markgraf became a soccer commentator. She worked for ESPN during the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She also worked for NBC during the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. You might have heard her commentating on U.S. women's national team games on Fox Soccer and ESPN. She also talked about college soccer on the Big Ten Network.
Helping Others Through Soccer
In 2012, Kate Markgraf became a "soccer envoy." This means she traveled to other countries to help teach kids about soccer and life skills. She went to Ethiopia with Tony Sanneh to work with young people. She also visited Chile in 2013 and Peru in 2014. She did this to help connect with young people through soccer.
Coaching and Family Life
In 2009, Kate was a volunteer assistant coach for the Marquette Golden Eagles college team. Now, she coaches her own twin children's soccer team!
Kate is a mom to three kids. She has a son named Keegan and twins, a girl named Carson and a boy named Xavier. She lives with her family in the Milwaukee area. She also helps with charities and programs that support students and run soccer clinics for good causes. She even earned a master's degree in Kinesiology in 2015.
See also
- List of footballers with 100 or more caps
- List of Olympic medalists in football
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
- List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
- List of 2004 Summer Olympics medal winners
