Shannon Boxx facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shannon Boxx

Personal information
Full name	Shannon Leigh Boxx Spearman
Date of birth	(1977-06-29) June 29, 1977 (age 47)
Place of birth	Fontana, California, United States
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
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)
National team
2003–2015	United States	195	(27)
Honours 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
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Shannon Boxx (born June 29, 1977) is a retired American soccer player. She was a key player for the United States women's national soccer team. Shannon played 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. These wins were at the 2004 Athens Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics, and 2012 London Olympics. She also helped the US team finish third or better in four FIFA Women's World Cups. These were in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015.

In 2005, she was a finalist for the FIFA World Player of the Year award. She also won an NCAA Women's Soccer Championship with Notre Dame in 1995. Shannon Boxx announced she was retiring from soccer after winning the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. Her last game was on October 21, 2015, when the US team tied with Brazil.

Shannon's older sister, Gillian Boxx, also won a gold medal. Gillian won her medal in softball at the 1996 Olympics.

In 2007, when Shannon was 30 years old, she found out she had lupus. Lupus is a condition where your body's immune system attacks its own tissues. She shared this news before the 2012 London Olympics. Even with lupus, she still won a gold medal with the US team.

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

Early Life and Soccer Beginnings

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

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. This happened in 1993 and 1994.

High School Sports

Shannon went to South Torrance High School from 1991 to 1995. She was a talented athlete who played four different sports. She played soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball. In 1995, she was named to the Parade All-America team for girls' soccer.

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 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship. They beat the strong North Carolina team in the semifinal. Shannon was chosen for the All-Big East team in 1995, 1996, and 1997. She played 101 games for Notre Dame, which is one of the most games ever played by an Irish soccer player.

Professional Soccer Journey

Shannon Boxx had a long and successful career playing professional soccer. She played for several teams in different leagues.

Starting in Germany

In 1999, Shannon played for the Boston Renegades in the W-League. After that, she went to Germany to play for 1. FC Saarbrücken. This team was in Germany's top women's league, the Bundesliga. However, she was not happy there and even thought about stopping 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 in the draft. In her first season with the Spirit, she started all 21 games. She was named to the All-WUSA team.

Later, she was traded to the New York Power. With New York, Shannon played very well again. She started all 21 games and was named to the 2003 All-WUSA team. A former US national team coach 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. She played in 18 games and helped the Sol finish first in the regular season. She was also named to the WPS First Team.

In 2010, she moved to the Saint Louis Athletica. When that team stopped playing, 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 WPS All-Star.

For the 2011 WPS season, Shannon played for magicJack. She 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 and having her first child, she played fewer games in her last few seasons. 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.

Even though Shannon Boxx was part of the US Under-21 team, she didn't play for the main U.S. national team until August 2003. The coach, April Heinrichs, picked her for the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup team. This was special because Shannon had never played for the senior team before.

Shannon scored goals in her first three games with the national team. She scored in two friendly matches before the World Cup. Then, she scored in the first World Cup match against Sweden. This made her the first American woman to score in her first three national team games. She played five games in the World Cup and scored again against Canada.

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

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

Shannon missed most of 2006 due to injuries. She had surgery on her hip and then tore ligaments in her knee. She came back in 2007 and was part of the team for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. She helped the team reach the semifinal.

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

In 2011, she played in almost all the World Cup games. She was recognized for her strong defensive play. In the World Cup final against Japan, the game went to a penalty shootout. Shannon took one of the penalty kicks, but the Japanese goalkeeper saved her shot.

Images for kids

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  Shannon Boxx with Saint Louis Athletica in 2010.