67. Kelly Lindsey
Soccer / Omaha / Born: 1979
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Millard North High, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, U.S. national team and WUSA's San Jose CyberRays
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Lincoln Southeast's Emily Anderson, a player Lindsey competed against in basketball and cross country. "I remember her shooting 3-pointers over us all day long at the state tournament. She'd make a 3 then run down the court with her arms up -- like an in-your-face thing. I think she did that to me about 20 times."
Best moment as an athlete: "When I was playing for the San Jose in the WUSA, and we beat Atlanta for the Founders Cup. It was just an awesome game and an awesome moment."
If you can just take off those Big Red blinders, you'll see that Kelly Lindsey really does love her home state.
OK, so Lindsey, after picking Notre Dame over Nebraska, had a foot in what might be the most stinging defeat in the history of the NU soccer program. In 1999, Lindsey netted the match-winning penalty kick after the Huskers and Irish battled through four overtimes. Her goal in front of a packed Abbott Sports Complex eliminated NU from the NCAA tournament and put Notre Dame in the Final Four.
In Lindsey's brief coaching career, the Millard North graduate already has worked as an assistant at two of NU's biggest Big 12 rivals, Colorado and Texas.
"Yes, I still love coming home," joked Lindsey -- who actually received a couple of pieces of hate mail from Husker fans after her goal beat NU. "But I've always taken a lot of pride in representing Nebraska and in being a soccer player from the state. It's a big deal to me."
Even though she had eight knee operations during her career, Lindsey was a standout defender for Notre Dame, the U.S. national team and San Jose of the WUSA. She was the first junior to win The World-Herald's high school girls athlete of the year award, and she was the top draft pick in the 2001 WUSA draft.
Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said he's still amazed at Lindsey's ability to play through pain. Lindsey was a two-year team captain in college, and Waldrum said it took several seasons for the Irish to overcome the loss of her leadership.
--Chad Purcell
QUICK FACTS:
Played for: Millard North High, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, U.S. national team and WUSA's San Jose CyberRays
Best athlete from Nebraska played with or against: Lincoln Southeast's Emily Anderson, a player Lindsey competed against in basketball and cross country. "I remember her shooting 3-pointers over us all day long at the state tournament. She'd make a 3 then run down the court with her arms up -- like an in-your-face thing. I think she did that to me about 20 times."
Best moment as an athlete: "When I was playing for the San Jose in the WUSA, and we beat Atlanta for the Founders Cup. It was just an awesome game and an awesome moment."
