Carin Jennings-Gabarra

Infobox Football biography
playername= Carin Jennings-Gabarra


fullname = Carin Jennings-Gabarra
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1965|1|9
cityofbirth = East Orange, New Jersey
countryofbirth = United States
height =
position = Forward
youthyears = 1980-1983
1983-1986
youthclubs = Palo Verde High School
University of California, Santa Barbara
years =
clubs = Southern California Ajax
caps(goals) =
nationalyears = 1987-1996
nationalteam = United States
nationalcaps(goals) = 117 (53)
manageryears = 1987
1988-
1993-
managerclubs = Westmont College
Harvard "(assistant)"
United States Naval Academy
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Carin Jennings-Gabarra(born 9 January 1965 in East Orange, New Jersey) is a former U.S. soccer Forward. She earned 117 caps with the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 to 1996. She received the Golden Ball Award as the best player at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup. She currently coaches women’s soccer at the United States Naval Academy. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Youth and college

While born in New Jersey, Jennings-Gabarra grew up in Palo Verde, California where she attended Palos Verdes High School from 1980 to 1983. During her four seasons playing high school soccer, she scored 226 goals and was a four-time High School All-American and a three-time California Most Valuable Player.

After high school, Jennings-Gabarra attended the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where she played on the women's soccer team. During her four seasons at UCSB (1983 to 1986) she scored 102 goals, a national record since broken by Mia Hamm, and assisted on 78 others. She was a second team All American in 1984 and 1985 and a third team All American in 1987. ^{[http://www.nscaa.com/awards-src.php]} She graduated from UCSB in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in business management. Gabarra was named the school’s Athlete of the Decade and in 1991 the university inducted Gabarra into its Hall of Fame. ^{[http://ucsbgauchos.cstv.com/genrel/032307aaf.html#jennings]}

In 2000, "Soccer America" selected Jennings-Gabarra to its College Team of the Century.

Club career

Jennings-Gabarra played with Southern California Ajax of Manhattan Beach, California. In 1992 and 1993, Ajax won the USASA National Amateur Cup. ^{[http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/natamateur.html]}

In 1993, Los Angeles United of the Continental Indoor Soccer League drafted Jennings.

National team

Jennings-Gabarra’s fame rests on her achievements with the United States women's national soccer team. During her ten year career, spanning 1987 to 1996, she earned 117 caps and scored 53 goals.

1991 World Cup

During the early 1990s, Jennings-Gabarra was part of the national team’s "Triple-Edged Sword." The term, coined by the Chinese media during the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, included two other prolific scorers, April Heinrichs and Michelle Akers. Of those three players, Akers scored ten goals at the World Cup to claim the Golden Boot, while Jennings-Gabarra added six as the tournament’s second leading scorer. ^{[http://centercircle.ussoccer.com/fullStory.jsp_1-21962.html]} She was also selected as the Golden Ball Award winner as the tournament’s top player.

1995 World Cup

In 1995, the Jennings-Gabarra and her team mates came up short in the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup, losing to Norway in the semifinals.

1996 Olympics

In 1996, the U.S. won the first women’s Olympic soccer tournament. Following the tournament, she retired from playing international soccer.

Coaching

Gabarra began coaching following her graduation from UCSB in 1987. That year, Westmont College, located in Santa Barbara, California hired her as its women’s soccer coach. After one season, she moved to Harvard where she was an assistant coach. In 1993, the United States Naval Academy, also known as Annapolis, hired Gabarra as its women’s soccer coach. At the time the women’s team competed at the club level. She developed it into a competitive Division I NCAA team.

In 2000, Gabarra was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2003, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Personal

In 1992, Gabarra married U.S. men’s national team player Jim Gabarra. They have one son and two daughters. Gabarra is a member of the U.S. Soccer Athlete Advisory Council, the U.S. Olympic Committee Athlete Advisory Council and the Maryland Physical Fitness Council.

Honors

World Cup Winner
* 1991

Olympic Gold Medal
* 1996

US National Amateur Cup
* 1992, 1993

California Prep MVP
* 1981, 1982, 1983

High School All American
* 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983

NCAA Division I All American
* 1984, 1985, 1986

FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
* 1991

US Soccer Athlete of the Year
* 1987, 1992

U.S. Olympic Player of the Year
* 1987, 1992

National Soccer Medal of Honor
* 2001

Hall of Fame
* National Soccer Hall of Fame
* U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
* American Youth Soccer Organization Hall of Fame

External links

* [http://www.soccerhall.org/famers/carin_jennings_gabarra.htm National Soccer Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/gabarra_carin00.html US Naval Academy Coaching Profile]