Each day, Todd Civin will present a different member of the Boston Breakers Soccer Team as part of his "These are The Boston Breakers" series.

Heather Mitts patrols the defensive end of the field for the Boston Breakers, the new local entry in the Women's Professional Soccer League (WPS). But when not shadowing the league's hottest offensive stars, Heather herself is playing her God given role as the WPS's "Hottest Star."
Heather's resume looks very similar to that of supermodel Heidi Klum. 
  •  Appeared on the cover of Philadelphia Magazine in June of 2002 as one of the city’s “Sexiest Singles."
  • Voted sexiest player in the WUSA on Playboy.com during the 2001 season.
  • Voted ESPN.com’s “Sexiest Female Athlete” in 2004.
  • The first soccer player ever to appear in FHM in a five-page photo spread.
  • Was on the cover of the Sports Illustrated for Women college preview issue in 1999.
  • Co-hosted the “Tailgate Show” on Comcast SportsNet, the pre-game for the Philadelphia Eagles home games in 2004.

Unlike Klum, however, Heather is more than just another pretty face. She also doubles as one of the WPS top defenders.  

The former University of Florida standout is a Cincinnati, OH native and a former defensive standout for the Philadelphia Charge of the now-defunct WUSA.
While at University of Florida, Mitts ranked as the all-time leader in games played (95), starts (94) and minutes played (7,547), starting in all but the very first game of her freshman year. She helped the Gators to its first and only NCAA title in women’s soccer in 1999 and to four SEC titles in as many years.
Mitts was named Most Inspirational Player as a Freshman and was team MVP as a senior. She was an NCAA First-Team All-American as a senior and Third-Team as a junior, while being named to the NCAA All-Tournament after the Gators NCAA Championship run and All-SEC First-Team as a junior.
And to prove there is brains behind the beauty and the brawn, Mitts was also an SEC All-Academic pick. I think that's what we call being dealt a pretty good hand.

As a high school star at St. Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, Heather was a First-Team All-State selection as a junior and senior. St. Ursula went 70-5-10 during her career, and won the 1993 state title. She also won two Ohio state titles with Club Cincinnati.
Her Olympic career reads very similar to many of the stars of the WPS as she was part of the USA Gold Medal Team in 2008. She played in all six games despite returning from a torn ACL just in time to be considered for a spot on the Olympic Team.
She tore her left ACL against Canada on May 12, 2007 and missed the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup. Her dedication and commitment to her recovery was highlighted in the video below.


In 2006, she was the only player to appear in every game and played in three games at the Four Nations Tournament, starting two.
In 2004, Mitts was member of the USA’s 2004 Olympic Residency Camp, and had a breakout year, playing in 28 games while starting 17. She played in her first world championship at the 2004 Olympics, seeing time in two matches included playing the full 90 minutes against Australia.
Heather scored the first two goals of her career in 2004, both game-winners on goalmouth scrambles after corner kicks. The first tally came against Canada on July 3rd, while her second came in a wild 4-3 win over Iceland during the “Fan Appreciation Tour.”
As a youth, she was a member of the U.S. Under-21 Women’s National Team Pool and was a member of the U-21 team that won the 1999 Nordic Cup in Iceland.

Her professional career highlights include:
  • Selected in the second round of the inaugural WUSA Draft by the Philadelphia Charge.
  • Started all 51 games in which she played for the Charge over three seasons, helping the club to the WUSA playoffs in the first two years.
  • Was a WUSA All-Star in 2003.
  • Played 4414 minutes in her WUSA career and had eight career assists.
  • Broke her tibia in WUSA action in 2003 and was sidelined for five weeks during the WNT’s lead-up to the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

On a personal side of Heather she graduated from U of F with a degree in Advertising and worked for ESPN as a sideline reporter on college football during the 2005 seasons. She also served as a studio analyst for ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 during the 2007 & 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cups and was the sideline reporter for several MLS broadcasts in 2005.

Mitts has done color commentary for Sunshine Network and for Fox Sports South on women’s college soccer games.

A self admitted "Life Highlight was when she “Ran with the Bulls” in Pamplona, Spain in 1999.

In her free time she loves watching and playing sports, and as an avid squash tennis and golfer player.

Heather comes from an athletic family as her father, Don, a cardiac surgeon at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, played basketball at Kentucky under Adolph Rupp, while her brother, Brian played soccer at the University of Kentucky. Her mother, Jan Peck, is a personal trainer.

You can find more information about Heather at her personal web site at www.heathermitts.com.

The Breakers next game is Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 PM in Germantown, MD against the Washington Freedom. Their next home game will take place on May 2nd at 7:00 against the Los Angeles Sol. All home games are played at historic Harvard Stadium. Tickets are available on line. For groups over 20 please call 1-781-251-2100.

Information for this article was excerpted from the Boston Breakers Web site and Courtesy of USSoccer.com