The library is excited to announce that World Cup goalkeeper Briana Scurry will be in Bowling Green
Sunday, July 23. The presentation by this world-class, Olympic-gold winning athlete sponsored by WCPL will take place at SKyPAC at 3pm. Timing is perfect, since the FIFA Women’s World Cup runs from July 20 through August 20! While it’s free and open to the public, ticket reservations are required and available online (warrenpl.org/event/briana). Copies of her memoir, My Greatest Save, will be available for purchase and personalizing after her presentation.
The event, entitled “Beyond the Field: Inspiration from World Cup Athlete Briana Scurry,” points to the impact this talented legend has had on the sport of soccer itself and beyond. Her prowess on the field began in high school, as she helped lead her Minneapolis (MN) soccer team to a State Championship win. An athlete in a number of sports, she was ultimately named her school’s top female athlete and received the number one accolade at the state level, too.
Not surprisingly, Scurry became a force to be reckoned with on the college field while attending University of Massachusetts, during which time she earned numerous designations, including National Goalkeeper of the Year in 1993. Her professional career that followed continued the tradition of excellence. She participated in the US women’s national soccer team from 1994 and 2008, where she ranks second among female soccer goalkeepers, with a career total of 173 international appearances, earning 71 shutout games in the process. Her 1996 Olympic Team won gold, and while that was impressive enough, equally amazing was that she allowed only three goals in the five matches played. She repeated that same feat in the 1999 Women’s World Cup championship, when she also recorded four shutouts and received the Best Goalkeeper Award.
A founding player in the first professional league for women, the Women’s United Soccer Association, Scurry played for the Atlanta Beat, and was named Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003. One of the first professional African American female players, she has helped to diversify and amplify the sport. She also played for one year for the Washington Freedom in the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer before an injury led to her retirement from the team.
Despite that setback, she continued to shine, helping her Olympic team win a silver medal in 2000 then repeating her 1996 gold-winning victory in 2004. She played for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2003 and again in 2007. Unfortunately, an on-field collision in 2010 resulted in a traumatic brain injury that ended her playing but led to a career of coaching, commentating, and advocating. She’s been active ever since.
Her legacy among athletes is unparalleled. In 2017 Scurry was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame and was honored also by having her U.S. National Soccer Team jersey placed on permanent display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2022, her book, My Greatest Save, was published concurrently with the release of “The Only,” a compelling documentary about her life that streamed on Paramount+.
This quote from her website (www.briscurry.com) speaks to her passion and drive: “As one of the first African American professional female soccer players as well as one of the first out LGBT players, Scurry has faced and triumphed over various challenges during the course of her career. The epitome of a team player with a palpable love of the game, Scurry draws on her ability to overcome obstacles to provide insight on the importance of teamwork, motivation, focus, and strategies for leveraging personal strengths.”
Make plans now to attend this free presentation and be inspired! If you are a coach, bring your team! If you are an athlete, former athlete, or parent with a young athlete, make plans now to attend. Don’t forget to reserve a free ticket for you and your party online at warrenpl.org/event/briana. Hope to see you at SKyPAC Sunday, July 23, at 3pm for a memorable experience!
-submitted by Warren County Public Library
