SAN JOSE, Calif. – Aly Wagner, one of the most decorated athletes in Santa Clara history, will be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 2. This year marks the 22nd year the San Jose Sports Authority will honor South Bay sports legends. She is joined by Mike Bruner, Olympic Gold Medalist and world champion in swimming, Raymond Townsend, the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA, and Doug Wilson, a Sharks first team captain.
Wagner played four years at Santa Clara after attending Presentation High School in San Jose. In 2001 she was named the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy winner as the country's top women's soccer player and the Honda Award winner. She also earned an NCAA Top VIII award, an honor handed out to only the top eight male and female student-athletes across all NCAA divisions and sports.
She earned first-team All-America status as a senior and junior and held a spot on the second team as a sophomore and freshman and was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in 1999. As a junior, Wagner led her team to the 2001 NCAA Championship and scored the game-winning goal in Santa Clara's 1-0 title game win over North Carolina.
One of the most skillful players for the US Women's National Team, Wagner amassed 131 international caps in 10 years. She played in the 2003 and 2007 FIFA Women's World Cups and won Olympic Gold in 2004 and 2008. She is second in Women's National Team history with 42 assists and with her 21 goals is No. 12 on the all-time U.S. scoring list.
Wagner was the first player selected in the WUSA 2003 draft with the San Diego Spirit trading three players for the rights to draft her. In 2009, she began playing midfielder for the Los Angeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer. After playing one season Wagner announced her retirement from professional soccer and currently is a sports broadcaster. She worked for Fox covering the 2015 Women's World Cup and has called games for the Pac 12 Network.
Each inductee will be recognized with a bronze plaque permanently installed on the concourse at SAP Center at San Jose. With the induction of the Class of 2016, there will be 101 South Bay sports icons enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The annual induction is an event of the San Jose Sports Authority, San Jose Arena Authority, SAP Center Management/San Jose Sharks, and the City of San Jose. The event benefits Special Olympics Northern California and high school sports programs.
About the San Jose Sports Authority
The San Jose Sports Authority is a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the City of San Jose's economic development, visibility, and civic pride through sports. Serving as the City's sports commission since its inception in 1991, the Sports Authority has provided leadership and support to attract and host hundreds of sporting events in San Jose and the South Bay. The Sports Authority also supports and operates community, youth and amateur sports programs, including the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame and the REACH Youth Scholarship Program. To learn more, visit www.sjsa.org.