Briana Scurry
- Two-Time Olympic Gold Medalist,
- World Cup Champion,
- Best-Selling Author
Briana Scurry Speaker Biography
Briana Scurry is widely recognized as one of the world’s most talented and influential goalkeepers. Scurry’s 173 international appearances as one of the first African American and openly gay professional athletes championed equality and diversified the sport. In 2017, Scurry was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Named starting goalkeeper for the United States Women’s National Team in 1994, Scurry led the team on an illustrious run that included two Olympic gold medals. In the 1999 FIFA World Cup Championship – which represented one of the most seminal events in American athletic history – Briana made the iconic penalty kick save that carried the United States to victory.
Scurry pioneered the first paid professional women’s soccer league as a founding player in 2001. A debilitating concussion led to her retirement in 2010. Since then, Scurry has repurposed her visibility to become one of the nation’s foremost advocates for increased awareness for traumatic brain injuries.
Through her impact on the landscape of women’s soccer and American sports culture, Briana was selected to the United States Women’s National Team’s All-Time Best XI and was selected as the permanent Title IX Exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
In 2022, Scurry released her best-selling memoir, My Greatest Save, and was also the subject of The Only, a CBS feature-length documentary chronicling her life. In 2023, Scurry served as the commencement speaker and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from her alma mater, The University of Massachusetts Amherst.
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Speech Topics
Success is Not a Straight Line:From winning two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup championship to a career ending concussion that left her “temporarily totally disabled” and forced her to pawn her Olympic medals, Briana Scurry takes audiences on an authentic journey of both the highs and the lows of her career. Speaking with startling candor, Scurry’s compelling story of triumph, tragedy, and redemption empowers audiences to strive for excellence no matter the obstacles.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
The first black and first openly gay player on the United States Women’s National Soccer Team, Scurry shares the challenges she had to overcome as “the only” throughout her trailblazing career that resulted in Scurry’s inclusion as the permanent Title IX exhibit in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture. By sharing her story and experiences in a way that allows people from all backgrounds to relate, Scurry empowers audiences to leverage diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance their organizations and their own lives.
Mental Health:
The victim of a career ending traumatic brain injury, Scurry shares the story of her arduous three-year journey that forced her to pawn her Olympic gold medals and left her on the brink of suicide while fighting to get the experimental brain surgery she so desperately needed. As an advocate for increased awareness for traumatic brain injuries and mental health who has now testified twice before Congress, Scurry demonstrates the importance for individuals and organizations to prioritize mental health.
Leadership & Resilience:
As a player at the height of her profession for more than fourteen years, Scurry is able to draw upon her immense experience overcoming obstacles and achieving success at the highest level. Scurry is able to parallel the hurdles she faced to the real-life challenges employees and businesses face, sharing tools for success that are just as applicable in the corporate world as they were on the soccer pitch.
