Danielle Fotopoulos
Encyclopedia
Danielle Ruth Garrett Fotopoulos (born March 24, 1976) is a former American college, professional and international soccer player. Fotopoulos holds the all-time National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) Division I records for goals and points, and was a member of the University of Florida
team that won the 1998 NCAA women's soccer championship, and also the United States national team
that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
in 1976, the daughter of Bill and Donna Garrett. She grew up in Altamonte Springs, Florida
, and attended Lyman High School
in Longwood, Florida
from 1990 to 1994. While in high school
, she was a varsity letterman in six different sports—basketball
, cross country, soccer, tennis
, swimming
and track & field. Her high school soccer team won three Florida state championships during her four years on the team.
(SMU) in Dallas, Texas
, where she played for the SMU Mustangs
soccer team from 1994 to 1995. After her sophomore
year, she transferred from SMU to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where she played for coach Becky Burleigh
's new Florida Gators women's soccer team for two seasons. After suffering an ACL
injury before the start of the 1997 season, she returned to the Gators for her senior
year in 1998. She helped the Gators win the 1998 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
, scoring the winning goal
against North Carolina
in the final of the NCAA soccer tournament. During her 1996 and 1998 seasons with the Gators, the team also won both the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) regular season and tournament championships, and she was twice recognized as the SEC Player of the Year. Fotopoulos finished her college career as the NCAA's all-time leader in goals (118) and points (284). She graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
in 1999, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2008.
of the Women's United Soccer Association
, winning the league championship in 2002.
(LSU) women's soccer team head coach George Fotopoulos
, with whom she served as co-head coach at LSU in 2004. In 2006, she became an assistant coach for the Florida Gators soccer team at the University of Florida, her alma mater
. She currently lives in Tampa with her husband and their four children, Lexi, Will, Michael and Dmitri. She coaches multiple teams at the Hillsborough County United soccer club. She is also a partner for the semi-pro team, Tampa Hellenic; her husband is currently the head coach. In 2010, Fotopoulos became the head of coach of the NCAA Division II women's soccer team at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I records for goals and points, and was a member of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
team that won the 1998 NCAA women's soccer championship, and also the United States national team
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
that won the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Early life
Fotopoulos was born in Camp Hill, PennsylvaniaCamp Hill, Pennsylvania
Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, 2 miles southwest of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,636 at the 2000 census...
in 1976, the daughter of Bill and Donna Garrett. She grew up in Altamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs, Florida
Altamonte Springs is a city in Seminole county in the U.S. state of Florida, which had a population of 41,496 at the 2010 census. Located primarily in Seminole County, the city is in the northern suburbs of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area, which the United States...
, and attended Lyman High School
Lyman High School
Lyman High School is a public high school located in Longwood, Florida, a city located approximately 10 miles north of Orlando. The school, founded in 1924, has been consistently ranked among the best in the state by the Florida Department of Education. It was ranked by Newsweek as the 204th best...
in Longwood, Florida
Longwood, Florida
Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, USA. The population was 13,745 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 13,491. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area....
from 1990 to 1994. While in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, she was a varsity letterman in six different sports—basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country, soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and track & field. Her high school soccer team won three Florida state championships during her four years on the team.
College career
Fotopoulos initially attended Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
(SMU) in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, where she played for the SMU Mustangs
SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs is the name of the athletic teams representing Southern Methodist University. The Mustangs participate in the NCAA's Division I as a member of Conference USA. In 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA, and left the Western Athletic Conference...
soccer team from 1994 to 1995. After her sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year, she transferred from SMU to the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where she played for coach Becky Burleigh
Becky Burleigh
Rebecca Lund "Becky" Burleigh is an American college soccer coach and former college soccer player. She is the current head coach of the Florida Gators women's soccer team of the University of Florida...
's new Florida Gators women's soccer team for two seasons. After suffering an ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
injury before the start of the 1997 season, she returned to the Gators for her senior
Senior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
year in 1998. She helped the Gators win the 1998 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
, scoring the winning goal
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
against North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels are the athletic teams for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the Tar Heel State...
in the final of the NCAA soccer tournament. During her 1996 and 1998 seasons with the Gators, the team also won both the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) regular season and tournament championships, and she was twice recognized as the SEC Player of the Year. Fotopoulos finished her college career as the NCAA's all-time leader in goals (118) and points (284). She graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1999, and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 2008.
Professional career
Fotopoulos played professionally with the Carolina CourageCarolina Courage
Carolina Courage were a professional soccer team that played in the Women's United Soccer Association. The team played at Fetzer Field on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus in 2001, and then at the soccer-specific SAS Stadium in Cary, North Carolina in 2002 and 2003. The team began play in 2001; the...
of the Women's United Soccer Association
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
, winning the league championship in 2002.
Coaching career
Fotopoulos is married to former Louisiana StateLSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
(LSU) women's soccer team head coach George Fotopoulos
George Fotopoulos
George Fotopoulos is an American soccer coach. He is a former head coach of the United States women's national soccer team. He then coached the Louisiana State University women's soccer team. Fotopoulos went 52-39-14 in five years at LSU, posting a 12-28-6 record in the Southeastern Conference...
, with whom she served as co-head coach at LSU in 2004. In 2006, she became an assistant coach for the Florida Gators soccer team at the University of Florida, her alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
. She currently lives in Tampa with her husband and their four children, Lexi, Will, Michael and Dmitri. She coaches multiple teams at the Hillsborough County United soccer club. She is also a partner for the semi-pro team, Tampa Hellenic; her husband is currently the head coach. In 2010, Fotopoulos became the head of coach of the NCAA Division II women's soccer team at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Individual awards and honors
- WUSA All-Star team selection: 2003
- Second-team All-WUSA: 2002
- Honda Award: 1998
- NSCAANSCAAThe National Soccer Coaches Association of America is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. The NSCAA has grown from a handful of college soccer coaches to more than 22,000 members, making it the largest coaching organization in the world. Its members coach at all levels of...
National Player of the Year: 1998 - ESPN.com/Soccer Times National Player of the Year: 1998
- Soccer America Player of the Year: 1998
- NCAA Final Four Offensive MVP: 1998
- Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Player of the Year: 1996, 1998 - All-American: 1995, 1996, 1998
- SEC Tournament MVP: 1996
Team honors
- FIFA Women's World CupFIFA Women's World CupThe FIFA Women's World Cup is an international association football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the...
(1999) - Women's United Soccer AssociationWomen's United Soccer AssociationThe Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
Founders Cup (2002) - NCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer ChampionshipNCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
(1999)
College
| Year | Team | GP/GS | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | SMU | 20/19 | 20 | 5 | 45 |
| 1995 | SMU | 24/23 | 32 | 19 | 85 |
| 1996 | Florida | 22/22 | 34 | 13 | 83 |
| 1997 | Florida | Did not play | |||
| 1998 | Florida | 26/26 | 32 | 11 | 75 |
| Totals | 92/90 | 118 | 48 | 284 | |
WUSA
| Year | Team | GP/GS | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Carolina Courage | 21/21 | 9 | 5 | 23 |
| 2002 | Carolina Courage | 21/20 | 11 | 10 | 32 |
| 2003 | Carolina Courage | 12/12 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Totals | 54/53 | 27 | 21 | 75 | |
W-League
| Year | Team | GP | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Tampa Bay Extremes | 4 | 6 |
| 2005 | Central Florida Krush | 9 | |
| Totals | 15 | ||
National team
| Year | GP/GS | Goals | Assists | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 2/1 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 1997 | 6/0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 1998 | 1/0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 17/1 | 7 | 4 | 18 |
| 2000 | Did not play | |||
| 2001 | ||||
| 2002 | 4/0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2003 | Did not play | |||
| 2004 | ||||
| 2005 | 5/1 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Totals | 35/3 | 16 | 7 | 39 |
See also
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- List of Florida Gators soccer players
- List of University of Florida alumni
External links
- " Danielle Fotopoulos, Soccer, Sports Illustrated (February 11, 1999). Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- USSoccer.com, " Danielle Fotopoulos Retires from International Soccer," press release (February 22, 2007). Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- Soccer Times profile
- University of Florida coach bio
- University of Florida player bio