The NCAA Silver Anniversary Award ceremony due to take place at the NCAA Convention in Orlando in Florida on January 23 will honour the collegiate and professional achievements of Hamm, David Hirsch, Tim Cullen, Lisa Leslie, Heath Shuler and Jason Varitek.

Hamm, who attended the University of North Carolina (UNC), played for the US women's team from 1987 to 2004, becoming the youngest player to appear for them at the age of 15.

She was named one of the top three female football players in the 20th century by FIFA and was one of just two women's players to be named to FIFA's list of the 125 Greatest Living Players in 2004.

Hamm was the first female inductee into the World Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

She ended her international career as the world's leading scorer in the women's game with 158 goals, a mark that lasted until 2013.

Hamm actively raises funds for several children’s hospitals, including UNC hospitals.

She established the Mia Hamm Foundation in 1994 to raise money for bone marrow transplant patients and their families.

Hirsch, a former wrestling student athlete at Cornell, was the 1994 NCAA Division I wrestling champion at 126 pounds.

He is now head of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/General Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

Throughout his professional career, Hirsch has travelled internationally for philanthropic purposes, performing surgeries ranging from the correction of genetic deformities to major head and neck reconstruction.

Cullen, a former fencer at the US Air Force Academy, was an NCAA All-American who led the Falcons to the 1994 West Regional Championship.

As a fighter pilot he completed more than 1,000 hours in the F-16 and C-17 aircraft and has more than 250 hours flying in combat.

A colonel in the Air Force, Cullen currently serves as the director of safety for Pacific Air Forces, based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu in Hawaii.

Over the years, he has coached youth sports such as basketball and football.

Leslie, a former Southern California women's basketball player, was a three-time All-American.

After completing her eligibility and degree in communication, Leslie moved on to play professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, winning two titles and being named a first-team All-WNBA performer eight times.

She is the co-creator of Empowered - an online community of women aiming to help young female entrepreneurs succeed through mentorship, guidance and coaching.

Shuler excelled in American football, starting at quarterback for Tennessee in 1992 and 1993. 

After passing for a Southeastern Conference-best 2,354 yards and 25 touchdowns, he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1993.

After Tennessee, he spent five years in the National Football League with the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders.

From 2007 to 2013, Shuler served North Carolina's 11th Congressional District for three terms as a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives.

Varitek, a former baseball player at Georgia Tech, was a three-time first-team All-American.

He was the recipient of the 1994 Golden Spikes Award, given to the most outstanding amateur player in the nation.

He went on to play 15 seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

During his professional career, he was a two-time World Series champion and a three-time American League All-Star.

One of his largest charity events is the Tek and Friends Charity Golf Classic, which benefits Pitching in for Kids - a non-profit organisation that provides grants designed to improve the lives of children across New England.