Shannon Boxx facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shannon Boxx

Personal information
Full name	Shannon Leigh Boxx Spearman
Birth name	Shannon Leigh Boxx
Date of birth	(1977-06-29) June 29, 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Fontana, California, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1998	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	101	(39)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994	Ajax of Los Angeles
1999	Boston Renegades
1999–2000	1. FC Saarbrücken
2000	Ajax of Los Angeles
2001–2002	San Diego Spirit	41	(5)
2003	New York Power	21	(1)
2005	Ajax of Los Angeles
2009	Los Angeles Sol	19	(3)
2010	Saint Louis Athletica	6	(1)
2010	FC Gold Pride	14	(0)
2011	magicJack	10	(0)
2013–2015	Chicago Red Stars	7	(0)
International career
2003–2015	United States	195	(27)
Medal record Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Gold 2008 Beijing Team Gold 2012 London Team FIFA Women's World Cup Bronze 2003 United States Team Bronze 2007 China Team Silver 2011 Germany Team Gold 2015 Canada Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Shannon Boxx (born June 29, 1977) is a famous American soccer player who has now retired. She was a key player for the United States women's national soccer team, usually playing as a defensive midfielder. Her last club team was the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League.

Shannon Boxx won three gold medals with the United States team at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 2012 London Olympics. She also helped the US team achieve top finishes in several FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments, including winning gold in 2015. In 1995, she won an NCAA Women's Soccer Championship with her college team, Notre Dame.

Shannon Boxx announced her retirement from both international and club soccer after the US team won the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Her very last game was on October 21, 2015, when the US team tied with Brazil during their victory tour.

Shannon's older sister, Gillian Boxx, also won a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics as part of the United States softball team.

In 2007, when Shannon was 30 years old, she was diagnosed with lupus. Lupus is a long-term disease where the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissues. She shared her diagnosis publicly just before the 2012 London Olympics, where she still went on to win a gold medal.

In 2020, Shannon Boxx became part of the ownership group for Angel City FC, a team in the National Women's Soccer League. In 2022, she was honored by being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Soccer Beginnings

Shannon Boxx grew up in Southern California. She was raised by her white single mother. Shannon's biological father was Black, and she learned more about her African American heritage when she went to college.

She once shared that studying African American history in college was one of the best things she ever did. It helped her learn about a part of her background that her mom couldn't teach her.

Youth Club Soccer

From ages 12 to 18, Shannon played for the Torrance United Waves Soccer Club. She helped her team win four State Cup Championships. They also made it to the USYSA National Championship Final Four twice, in 1993 and 1994.

High School Sports

Shannon attended South Torrance High School from 1991 to 1995. She was an amazing athlete, playing four different sports: soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball. In 1995, she was named to the Parade All-America team for girls' soccer, which is a big honor.

College Soccer Success

Shannon played college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish from 1995 to 1998. In 1995, she helped her team win their first-ever NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. They beat the strong defending champions, North Carolina, in the semifinal game. Shannon was recognized for her skills, being named to the All-Big East team in 1995, 1996, and 1997. She played 101 games for the Irish, which is tied for the most games played by any soccer player for the school.

Professional Soccer Career

Starting Out (1999–2000)

In 1999, Shannon Boxx played for the Boston Renegades in the W-League. After that, she went to Germany to play for 1. FC Saarbrücken in the women's Bundesliga. However, she wasn't happy there and even thought about quitting soccer.

Playing in the WUSA League

In 2001, the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) league started. Shannon was chosen by the San Diego Spirit as the 19th pick in the draft.

During the 2001 season, Shannon started all 21 games for the Spirit and was named to the All-WUSA team. The next season, she played less, and in 2002, she was traded to the New York Power.

With the New York Power in 2003, Shannon played great again. She started all 21 games, scored one goal, and had eight assists, which was her highest number of assists in a season. She was again named to the All-WUSA team. Tony DiCicco, a former coach for the US women's national team, called her "the best in our league at (defensive midfield)."

Playing in the WPS League

In 2009, Shannon Boxx joined the Los Angeles Sol for the first season of Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She became the team captain and played in 18 games, scoring three goals. She was chosen for the WPS First Team and played in the WPS All-Star Game. Her team, the Sol, finished first in the regular season.

In 2010, after the Los Angeles Sol team closed down, Shannon joined the Saint Louis Athletica. Later that season, when Saint Louis Athletica also closed, she was traded to FC Gold Pride. Shannon helped FC Gold Pride win the WPS regular season title and the championship. She was also a starter in the WPS All-Star Game.

For the 2011 WPS season, Shannon Boxx signed with magicJack. She played in 10 games, starting all of them, and helped her team reach the playoffs.

Playing in the NWSL League

In 2013, Shannon joined the Chicago Red Stars in the new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Due to injuries, she played only two matches in 2013. In 2014, she played five matches because she was pregnant and had her first child. In 2015, she played four times due to her duties with the World Cup team. On July 27, 2015, Shannon Boxx announced her retirement from the NWSL and the Red Stars.

International Career Highlights

Boxx and the USWNT celebrate after a goal in the Gold medal match against Japan, at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Back to front: Boxx-7, Wambach-14, O'Hara-5, Morgan-13, Lloyd-10

Even though Shannon Boxx was part of the United States Under-21 national team, she didn't play her first game for the senior national team until August 2003. This was when coach April Heinrichs chose her for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup team. This was special because she was the first player to be picked for a U.S. Women's World Cup team without having played a senior international game before.

Before being called up, Shannon had planned to become a coach and go to graduate school. But then, she got the call to play for her country!

Shannon scored a goal in each of the two friendly games before the World Cup. She also scored in the first World Cup match against Sweden. This made her the first American woman to score three goals in her first three games with the national team.

She started five games at the 2003 Women's World Cup, even scoring another goal against Canada in the third-place match. FIFA, the world soccer organization, named her the player of the match against Canada. They said she "took control of the game" and "scored the decisive goal."

In 2004, Shannon Boxx played in 31 out of 32 national team games, starting almost all of them. This included all six games at the 2004 Olympics, where she scored a goal and helped the team win a gold medal. She scored eight goals that year, including three goals in one game (a hat trick) against Trinidad and Tobago. She was ranked seventh in the world for the 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year award.

In 2005, Shannon started all nine US national team games. She was a finalist for the 2005 FIFA World Player of the Year award, finishing third in the world.

Shannon missed most of 2006 due to injuries, including hip surgery and a knee injury. She returned in 2007 after eight months and was chosen for the United States' team for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. She helped the team reach the semifinal against Brazil. However, she was sent off the field after getting two yellow cards, and the United States lost the game.

Shannon played every minute of all five US games at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, helping the team win another gold medal.

In 2011, she played in almost all the World Cup games and was recognized for her strong defense. In the World Cup final against Japan, the game went to a penalty shootout. Shannon was one of the American players who took a penalty kick, but Japan's goalkeeper saved her shot.

International Goals

Shannon Boxx scored many important goals for the United States. Here are some of her international goals:

	Date	Location	Opponent	Lineup	#	Min	Assist/pass	Score	Result	Competition
1	2003-09-01	USACarson	Costa Rica	90.Start	1.1	53	Julie Foudy	5350.03005 3–0	5550.05005 5–0	Friendly
2	2003-09-07	USASan Jose	Mexico	61. off 61' (on Hucles)	1.1	10	Julie Foudy	5150.01005 1–0	5550.05005 5–0	Friendly
3	2003-09-21	USAWashington	Sweden	90.Start	1.1	78	Mia Hamm	5250.03005 3–1	5250.03005 3–1	World Cup: Group A
4	2003-10-11	USACarson	Canada	90.Start	1.1	51	Mia Hamm	5150.02005 2–1	5250.03005 3–1	World Cup: third place match
5	2004-01-30	ChinaShenzhen	Sweden	90.Start	1.1	13	Kristine Lilly	5150.01005 1–0	5350.03005 3–0	Four Nations Tournament
6	2004-02-25	Costa RicaSan Jose	Trinidad & Tobago	90.Start	3.1	22	Abby Wambach	5150.01005 1–0	5750.07005 7–0	Olympic qualification
7					3.2	37	Mia Hamm	5350.03005 3–0
8					3.3	81	Aly Wagner	5750.07005 7–0
9	2004-03-03	Costa RicaSan Jose	Costa Rica	60. off 60' (on Tarpley)	1.1	51	Shannon MacMillan	5450.04005 4–0	5450.04005 4–0	Olympic qualification: semifinal
10	2004-07-21	USABlaine	Australia	45. on 46' (off Chastain)	1.1	56	Mia Hamm	5050.01005 1–1	5250.03005 3–1	Friendly
11	2004-08-11	GreeceHeralklio	Greece	90.Start	1.1	14	Mia Hamm	5150.01005 1–0	5350.03005 3–0	Olympics: Group G
12	2004-12-08	USACarson	Mexico	90.Start	1.1	44	unassisted	5450.04005 4–0	5550.05005 5–0	Friendly
13	2005-07-23	USACarson	Iceland	82. off 82' (on Woznuk)	1.1	69	Abby Wambach	5350.03005 3–0	5350.03005 3–0	Friendly
14	2006-01-18	ChinaGuangzhou	Norway	90.Start	1.1	77	Kristine Lilly	5250.02005 2–0	5250.03005 3–1	Four Nations Tournament
15	2007-07-28	USASan Jose	Japan	85. off 85' (on Hucles)	1.1	17	Stephanie Lopez	5150.01005 1–0	5350.04005 4–1	Friendly
16	2007-08-25	USACarson	Finland	79. off 79' (on Wagner)	1.1	30	Kristine Lilly	5150.01005 1–0	5450.04005 4–0	Friendly
17	2007-09-22	ChinaTianjin	England	82. off 82' (on Lloyd)	1.1	57	Cat Whitehill	5250.02005 2–0	5350.03005 3–0	World Cup: quarterfinal
18	2008-01-20	ChinaGuangzhou	China	90.Start	1.1	77	Becky Sauerbrunn	5150.01005 1–0	5150.01005 1–0	Four Nations Tournament
19	2009-03-11	PortugalFaro	Sweden	121.Start	1.1	90	Megan Rapinoe	5050.01005 1–1	5049.0103 1–1 (pso 3–4)	Algarve Cup: final
20	2009-05-25	CanadaToronto	Canada	90.Start	1.1	2	Heather Mitts	5150.01005 1–0	5450.04005 4–0	Friendly
21	2010-03-28	USASan Diego	Mexico	90.Start; (c)	1.1	43	unassisted	5250.02005 2–0	5350.03005 3–0	Friendly
22	2011-03-07	PortugalQuarteira	Finland	45. off 46' (on Lindsey)	1.1	8	Carli Lloyd	5150.01005 1–0	5450.04005 4–0	Algarve Cup: Group A
23	2012-04-03	JapanChiba	Brazil	90.Start	1.1	23	Lauren Holiday	5250.02005 2–0	5350.03005 3–0	Kirin Challenge Cup
24	2012-09-16	USACarson	Australia	45. on 46' (off Lloyd)	1.1	63	penalty	5150.02005 2–1	5150.02005 2–1	Friendly
25	2012-09-19	USACommerce	Australia	45. on 46' (off Holiday)	1.1	63	Megan Rapinoe	5350.05005 5–2	5450.06005 6–2	Friendly
26	2013-02-09	USAJacksonville	Scotland	66. off 66' (on Averbuch)	1.1	52	Christen Press	5350.03005 3–0	5350.04005 4–1	Friendly
27	2013-03-06	PORAlbufeira	Iceland	90.Start	1.1	62	Christie Rampone	5250.02005 2–0	5350.03005 3–0	Algarve Cup: Group B

Images for kids

• 

  Shannon Boxx warming up before a game.

• 

  Shannon Boxx playing for Saint Louis Athletica in 2010.

• 

  Shannon Boxx (number 7) celebrating a goal with her teammates at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

See also

In Spanish: Shannon Boxx para niños