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PrintFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
National Association for Sport and Physical Education Inducts Soccer Great Kristine Lilly into Hall of Fame
RESTON, VA, March 5, 2012 – American women's soccer icon Kristine Lilly is to be inducted into the National Association for Sport and Physical Education's (NASPE) Hall of Fame next month for her excellence as a world-class athlete and for her work with disadvantaged and disabled children, NASPE officials announced. Lilly's former coach Tony DiCicco, who was inducted into the NASPE Hall of Fame in 2000, will bestow the honor upon his former player at the organization's Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, March 16, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel.
"We are pleased and proud to induct Kristine Lilly into NASPE's Hall of Fame," says NASPE President Dennis Docheff, professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo. "Her list of achievements in sport is long, impressive and an inspiration for all young people. But just as inspirational is her work with America's young people. Kristine Lilly epitomizes the NASPE Hall of Fame."
Joining Lilly as NASPE Hall of Fame inductees will be Timothy Flannery, director of coaching education for the National Federation of State High School Associations; and Thomas McKenzie, professor emeritus at San Diego State University.
The awards are given to honor outstanding individuals who 1) make significant contributions to maintaining sport, physical education and physical activity as an integral part of the total education program; 2) further the image of sport and healthy physical activity for all; 3) accentuate the integral relationships of sport, motor development and physical activity to the total educational process; 4) encourage involvement in meaningful competitive sport or physical activity programs by influential educators and citizens in all walks of life; and 5) symbolize the educational and developmental potentials of physical education and sport.
In addition to Tony DiCicco, past NASPE Hall of Fame inductees include golfer Annika Sorenstam, University of Tennessee Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summitt, tennis greats Billie Jean King and the late Arthur Ashe, NFL Hall of Famers Nick Buoniconti and Anthony Munoz, and Olympians Wilma Rudolph, Rulon Gardner, Dan Jansen, Rafer Johnson, Nancy Hogshead, Carl Lewis, Shannon Miller, Dot Richardson and Peter Vidmar.
Lilly is one of the most successful soccer players in U.S. history. When she retired from soccer in 2011 at age 39, she had played at the game's highest level in parts of four different decades. In her 23 years on the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, she played in five World Cups — including world championships in 1991 and 1999 — and three Olympic Games, including two Gold Medal victories. Lilly played in 352 international games for the U.S. team and is second only to Mia Hamm in goals scored in international play. She captained the U.S. team from 2005-2007 and captained the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer from 2001-2003 and again from 2009-2010. In her spare time, Lilly has helped to raise thousands of dollars for Special Olympics Connecticut, in her home state. Next month, she will run the Boston Marathon on behalf of Children's Hospital Boston, where she regularly visits patients. Over the past 15 years, Lilly's Kristine Lilly Soccer Academy has given thousands of young athletes the opportunity to train, have fun and learn valuable life lessons. More recently, Lilly and former teammates Hamm and Tisha Venturini Hoch founded the Team First Soccer Academy, a traveling soccer academy that will help teach the game to young athletes around the country. Lilly and husband David Heavey have two daughters: 3 1/2-years-old Sidney and 6-month-old Jordan.
That evening NASPE also will honor the National Physical Education Teachers of the Year for Elementary, Middle and High School and the National Physical Education Administrator of the Year at the banquet, which is sponsored by Playworld Systems®, a leading manufacturer of imaginative playground equipment and the creator of ENERGI™ Total Body Fitness System.###
Contact:
Paula Kun
pkun@aahperd.org
703-476-3461
The preeminent national authority on physical education and a recognized leader in sport and physical activity, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) is a non-profit professional membership association that sets the standard for practice in physical education and sport. NASPE’s 15,000 members include: K-12 physical education teachers, coaches, administrators, researchers, and college/university faculty who prepare professionals in these areas. NASPE seeks to enhance knowledge, improve professional practice, and increase support for high-quality physical education, sport and physical activity programs. It is the largest of the five national associations that make up the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). For more information, visit www.naspeinfo.org.
The vision of AAHPERD is "Healthy People – Physically Educated and Physically Active!" Headquartered in Reston, VA, 25 miles west of Washington, DC, AAHPERD is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, physical activity, dance, school health and sport--all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. Its mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance and sport by providing its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. For more information, visit www.aahperd.org.