February 29, also known as a leap day in the Gregorian calendar, is a date that occurs in most years that are evenly divisible by 4, such as 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Years that are evenly divisible by 100, but not by 400, do not contain a leap day; thus 1900 did not contain a leap day while 2000 did. Years containing a leap day are called leap years. February 29 is the 60th day of the Gregorian calendar in such a year, with 306 days remaining until the end of the year.

Leap years[link]

Although most years of the modern calendar have 365 days, a complete revolution around the sun takes approximately 365 days and 6 hours. Every four years, during which an extra 24 hours have accumulated, one extra day is added to keep the count coordinated with the sun's apparent position.

It is, however, slightly inaccurate to calculate an additional 6 hours each year. A better approximation, derived from the Alfonsine tables, is that the Earth makes a complete revolution around the sun in 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 16 seconds. As required by the Gregorian calendar, to compensate for the difference, an end-of-century year is not a leap year unless it is also exactly divisible by 400. This means that the years 1600 and 2000 were leap years, as will be 2400 and 2800, but the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not, nor will 2100, 2200, and 2300.

The Gregorian calendar repeats itself every 400 years, which is exactly 20,871 weeks including 97 leap days. Over this period, February 29 falls on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday 13 times each; 14 times each on Friday and Saturday; and 15 times each on Monday and Wednesday.

The concepts of the leap year and leap day are distinct from the leap second, which results from changes in the Earth's rotational speed.

Adding a leap day (after 23 February) shifts the commemorations in the 1962 Roman Missal.

The leap day was introduced as part of the Julian reform. The day following the Terminalia (February 23) was doubled, forming the "bis sextum"—literally 'double sixth', since February 24 was 'the sixth day before the Kalends of March' using Roman inclusive counting (March 1 was the 'first day'). Although exceptions exist, the first day of the bis sextum (February 24) was usually regarded as the intercalated or "bissextile" day since the third century.^[1] February 29 came to be regarded as the leap day when the Roman system of numbering days was replaced by sequential numbering in the late Middle Ages.

Events[link]

• 1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.
• 1644 – Abel Tasman's second Pacific voyage began.
• 1704 – Queen Anne's War: French forces and Native Americans stage a raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, killing 56 villagers and taking more than 100 captive.
• 1712 – February 29 is followed by February 30 in Sweden, in a move to abolish the Swedish calendar for a return to the Old style.
• 1720 – Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes King Frederick I.
• 1752 – King Alaungpaya founds Konbaung Dynasty, the last dynasty of Burmese monarchy
• 1768 – Polish nobles formed Bar Confederation.
• 1796 – The Jay Treaty between the United States and Great Britain comes into force, facilitating ten years of peaceful trade between the two nations.
• 1864 – American Civil War: Kilpatrick-Dahlgren Raid fails – plans to free 15,000 Union soldiers being held near Richmond, Virginia are thwarted.
• 1892 – St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated.
• 1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.
• 1920 – Czechoslovak National assembly adopted the Constitution.
• 1936 – Baby Snooks, played by Fanny Brice, debuts on the radio program The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air.
• 1936 – February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
• 1940 – For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.
• 1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations
• 1940 – In a ceremony held in Berkeley, California, because of the war, physicist Ernest Lawrence receives the 1939 Nobel Prize in Physics from Sweden's Consul General in San Francisco.
• 1944 – World War II: The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
• 1952 – The island of Heligoland is restored to German authority.
• 1960 – An earthquake in Morocco kills over 3,000 people and nearly destroys Agadir in the southern part of the country.
• 1964 – In Sydney, Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser sets a new world record in the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition (58.9 seconds).
• 1972 – Vietnam War: Vietnamization – South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam.
• 1980 – Gordie Howe of the then Hartford Whalers makes NHL history as he scores his 800th goal.
• 1988 – South African archbishop Desmond Tutu is arrested along with 100 clergymen during a five-day anti-apartheid demonstration in Cape Town.
• 1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.
• 1992 – First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.
• 1996 – Faucett Flight 251 crashes in the Andes, all 123 passengers and crew died.
• 2004 – Jean-Bertrand Aristide is removed as President of Haiti following a coup.
• 2012 – Tokyo Skytree construction completed. Now it is the tallest tower in the world, 634 meters high, and second tallest (man-made) structure on Earth, next to Burj Khalifa.

Births[link]

A person who is born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leap year baby". In non-leap years, some leaplings celebrate their birthday on either February 28 or March 1, while others only observe birthdays on the authentic intercalary dates.

In the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, a person born on February 29 legally attains the age of 18 on March 1 in the relevant year.^[2][3]

In cases of New Zealand citizens, the Parliament has decreed that if a date of birth was February 29, in non-leap years the legal birth date date shall be the preceding day, February 28. This is affirmed in §2(2) of the Land Transport Act 1999.^[4]

In the United States, a person legally attains a given age on the day before his corresponding birthday, i.e., the anniversary of his birth corresponding to that age. Accordingly, anyone born on a Leap Day legally turns 21 on February 28th, twenty-one years later.^[5]

In Taiwan (Republic of China) and in New Zealand, the legal birthday of a leapling is February 28 in common years:

"If a period fixed by weeks, months, and years does not commence from the beginning of a week, month, or year, it ends with the ending of the day which proceeds the day of the last week, month, or year which corresponds to that on which it began to commence. But if there is no corresponding day in the last month, the period ends with the ending of the last day of the last month.^[6]"

Thus, in England and Wales or in Hong Kong, a person born on February 29, 1996, will have legally reached 18 years old on March 1, 2014. If he or she was born in the United States, Taiwan or New Zealand, he or she legally becomes 18 on February 28, 2014, a day earlier.

There are many instances in children's literature where a person's claim to be only a quarter of their actual age turns out to be based on counting their leap-year birthdays. A similar device is used in the plot of Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance: As a child, Frederic was apprenticed to a band of pirates until his 21st birthday. Now, having passed his 21st year, he leaves the pirate band and falls in love. However, since he was born on February 29, that day will not arrive until he is in his eighties. As such, he must leave his fiancée and return to the pirates. It may be worked out from the opera's dialogue^[7] that Frederic's birthday is February 29, 1852 thus making the opera set in 1873. (This assumes that Frederic is aware that 1900 will not be a leap year. If not, the dates would be later by four years.) This plot point was also used in a Sherlock Holmes story based on the Basil Rathbone era, where a friend of Dr. Watson's is a baronet who is due to receive his inheritance on the New Year's Day of the year where his twenty-first birthday will be celebrated, only for the law to deprive him of the money as he was born on February 29; with the 84-year-old Baronet distraught at the news that 1900 is not a leap year, Holmes helps the Baronet fake his death long enough for his grandson- who is the appropriate age to receive the inheritance- to establish his claim and receive the money himself.

Other notable persons born on February 29:

• 1468 – Pope Paul III (d. 1549)
• 1568 – Juan Bautista Comes, Spanish composer (d. 1643)
• 1692 – John Byrom, English poet (d. 1763)
• 1724 – Eva Marie Veigel, ballet dancer and wife of actor David Garrick (d. 1822)
• 1736 – Ann Lee, American founder of Shakers (d. 1784)
• 1792 – Gioachino Rossini, Italian composer (d. 1868)
• 1812 – Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880)
• 1828 – Emmeline B. Wells, American women's rights advocate (d. 1921)
• 1836 – Dickey Pearce, American baseball player and manager (d. 1908)
• 1840 – John Philip Holland, Irish inventor (d. 1914)
• 1848 – Arthur Giry, French historian (d. 1899)
• 1852 – Frank Gavan Duffy, Australian judge (d. 1936)
• 1852 – George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg, Russian nobleman (d. 1912)
• 1860 – Herman Hollerith, American statistician (d. 1929)
• 1892 – Ed Appleton, American baseball player (d. 1932)
• 1892 – Augusta Savage, African-American sculptor (d. 1962)
• 1896 – Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India (d. 1995)
• 1896 – Roy Parker, baseball player (d. 1954)
• 1896 – William A. Wellman, American film director (d. 1975)
• 1904 – Jimmy Dorsey, American bandleader (d. 1957)
• 1904 – Pepper Martin, baseball player (d. 1965)
• 1904 – Rukmini Devi Arundale, Indian dancer (d. 1986)
• 1908 – Balthus, French-Polish painter (d. 2001)
• 1908 – Dee Brown, American writer (d. 2002)
• 1908 – Alf Gover, English cricketer (d. 2001)
• 1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (d. 1994)
• 1920 – Arthur Franz, American actor (d. 2006)
• 1920 – James Mitchell, American actor (d. 2010)
• 1920 – Michèle Morgan, French actress
• 1920 – Howard Nemerov, American poet (d. 1991)
• 1920 – Ivan Ivanovich Petrov, Russian operatic bass (d. 2003)
• 1920 – Rolland W. Redlin, American politician (d. 2011)
• 1920 – Fyodor Abramov, Russian novelist (d. 1983)
• 1924 – Al Rosen, American baseball player
• 1924 – David Beattie, New Zealand Governor-General (d. 2001)
• 1924 – Carlos Humberto Romero, President of El Salvador
• 1928 – Joss Ackland, English actor
• 1928 – Vance Haynes, American archaeologist
• 1928 – Terry Lewis, Australian police commissioner
• 1928 – Seymour Papert, South African mathematician
• 1928 – Tempest Storm, American burlesque performer
• 1932 – Paul Giel, American baseball player (d. 2002)
• 1932 – Gene Golub, American mathematician (d. 2007)
• 1932 – Masten Gregory, American F1 Driver (d. 1985)
• 1932 – Reri Grist, African-American coloratura soprano
• 1932 – Jaguar, Brazilian cartoonist
• 1936 – Jack Lousma, American astronaut
• 1936 – Henri Richard, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1936 – Alex Rocco, American actor
• 1940 – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople
• 1940 – Gopichand Hinduja, President, Hinduja Group of Companies
• 1940 – William H. Turner, Jr. American horse trainer
• 1944 – Ene Ergma, Estonian politician
• 1944 – Dennis Farina, American actor
• 1944 – Nicholas Frayling, Dean of Chichester Cathedral
• 1944 – Phyllis Frelich, American actress
• 1944 – Steve Mingori, American baseball player (d. 2008)
• 1944 – Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri, Italian illustrator
• 1948 – Jirō Akagawa, Japanese novelist
• 1948 – Gérard Darmon, French movie actor and singer
• 1948 – Ken Foree, American actor
• 1948 – Hermione Lee, President of Wolfson College, Oxford
• 1952 – Al Autry, American baseball player
• 1952 – Sharon Dahlonega Raiford Bush, American TV personality
• 1952 – Tim Powers, American writer
• 1952 – Raisa Smetanina, Russian cross-country skier
• 1952 – Bart Stupak, American congressman
• 1956 – Jonathan Coleman, Anglo-Australian entertainer
• 1956 – Jerry Fry, American baseball player
• 1956 – Bob Speller, Canadian politician
• 1956 – J. Randy Taraborrelli, American celebrity journalist
• 1956 – Aileen Wuornos, American serial killer (d. 2002)
• 1960 – Khaled, Algerian raï musician
• 1960 – Bill Long, American baseball player
• 1960 – Richard Ramirez, American serial killer
• 1960 – Tony Robbins, American motivational speaker
• 1964 – Lyndon Byers, Canadian hockey player and radio personality
• 1964 – Mervyn Warren, American film & TV composer and musician (Take 6)
• 1968 – Suanne Braun, South African actress
• 1968 – Chucky Brown, American basketball player
• 1968 – Pete Fenson, American curler
• 1968 – Naoko Iijima, Japanese actress
• 1968 – Gonzalo Lira, Chilean-American novelist
• 1968 – Howard Tayler, American cartoonist & author
• 1968 – Bryce Paup, American football player
• 1968 – Wendi Peters, British actress
• 1968 – Eugene Volokh, American law professor
• 1968 – Frank Woodley, Australian comedian
• 1972 – Antonio Sabàto, Jr., Italian-born actor
• 1972 – Dave Williams, American singer (Drowning Pool) (d. 2002)
• 1972 – Saul Williams, American rapper, poet, and actor
• 1972 – Mike Pollitt, English footballer
• 1972 – Pedro Zamora, Cuban-born American activist (d. 1994)
• 1972 – Iván García, Cuban athlete
• 1976 – Katalin Kovács, Hungarian sprint canoer
• 1976 – Ja Rule, American rapper and actor
• 1976 – Terrence Long, American baseball player
• 1976 – Zoë Baker, New Zealand swimmer
• 1980 – Simon Gagné, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1980 – Patrick Côté, Canadian mixed martial artist
• 1980 – Taylor Twellman, American soccer player
• 1980 – Clinton Toopi, New Zealand rugby league footballer
• 1980 – Chris Conley, American musician (Saves the Day and Two Tongues)
• 1980 – Rubén Plaza, Spanish cyclist
• 1980 – Michail Mouroutsos, Greek Olympic taekwondo gold medalist
• 1984 – Darren Ambrose, English footballer
• 1984 – Cullen Jones, American swimmer
• 1984 – Nuria Martinez, Spanish basketball player
• 1984 – Adam Sinclair, Indian field hockey player
• 1984 – Dennis Walger, German rugby player
• 1984 – Cam Ward, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1984 – Mark Foster, American musician (Foster the People)
• 1988 – Scott Golbourne, English footballer
• 1988 – Benedikt Höwedes, German footballer
• 1988 – Bobby Sanguinetti, American ice hockey player
• 1992 – Perry Kitchen, American soccer player
• 1992 – Sean Abbott, Australian cricketer
• 1992 – Caitlin EJ Meyer, American actress

Deaths[link]

• 992 – Oswald of Worcester, archbishop of York (b. c.925)
• 1212 – Hōnen, Japanese religious reformer (b. 1133)
• 1528 – Patrick Hamilton, Scottish religious reformer (b. 1504)
• 1592 – Alessandro Striggio, Italian composer (b. 1540)
• 1600 – Caspar Hennenberger, German Lutheran pastor, historian and cartographer (b. 1529)
• 1604 – John Whitgift, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1530)
• 1740 – Pietro Ottoboni, Italian cardinal (b. 1667)
• 1744 – John Theophilus Desaguliers, French philosopher (b. 1683)
• 1792 – Johann Andreas Stein, German piano builder (b. 1728)
• 1820 – Johann Joachim Eschenburg, German literary critic (b. 1743)
• 1848 – Louis-François, Baron Lejeune, French general and painter (b. 1775)
• 1868 – Ludwig I of Bavaria (b. 1786)
• 1880 – Sir James Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1812, also on February 29)
• 1908 – Pat Garrett, American gunslinger (b. 1850)
• 1908 – John Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow, first Governor-General of Australia (b. 1860)
• 1920 – Ernie Courtney, American baseball player (b. 1875)
• 1928 – Ina Coolbrith, first poet laureate of California (b. 1841)
• 1928 – Adolphe Appia, Swiss stage designer (b. 1862)
• 1940 – Edward Frederic Benson, English writer (b. 1867)
• 1944 – Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, President of Finland (b. 1861)
• 1948 – Rebel Oakes, American baseball player and manager (b. 1883)
• 1952 – Quo Tai-chi, Chinese diplomat (b. 1888)
• 1956 – Elpidio Quirino, President of the Philippines (b. 1890)
• 1960 – Walter Yust, American journalist and writer (b. 1894)
• 1960 – Melvin Purvis, American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation agent (b. 1903)
• 1964 – Frank Albertson, American actor (b. 1909)
• 1968 – Lena Blackburne, American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
• 1968 – Tore Ørjasæter, Norwegian poet (b. 1886)
• 1972 – Tom Davies, American footballer (b. 1896)
• 1976 – Florence Dwyer, American politician (b. 1902)
• 1980 – Gil Elvgren, American artist (b. 1914)
• 1980 – Yigal Allon, Israeli politician and soldier (b. 1918)
• 1984 – Ludwik Starski, Polish lyricist (b. 1903)
• 1988 – Sidney Harmon, American film producer (b. 1907)
• 1992 – Ruth Pitter, English poet (b. 1897)
• 1992 – Earl Scheib, American car repainter (b. 1908)
• 1992– La Lupe, Cuban-American singer (b. 1939)
• 1996 – Wes Farrell, American songwriter and musician (b. 1939)
• 1996 – Shams Pahlavi, Persian princess (b. 1917)
• 1996 – Ralph Rowe, American baseball player and manager (b. 1924)
• 2000 – Dennis Danell, American guitarist (Social Distortion) (b. 1961)
• 2004 – Jerome Lawrence, American playwright (b. 1915)
• 2004 – Lorrie Wilmot, South African cricketer (b. 1943)
• 2004 – Kagamisato Kiyoji, Japanese sumo wrestler, the 42nd Yokozuna (b. 1923)
• 2004 – Toni Onley, Canadian landscape painter (b. 1928)
• 2004 – Harold Bernard St. John, Barbadian politician, (b. 1931)
• 2008 – Janet Kagan, American author (b. 1946)
• 2008 – Erik Ortvad, Danish artist (b. 1917)
• 2012 – Davy Jones, English singer, songwriter and actor (The Monkees) (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Sheldon Moldoff, Golden Age and Silver Age comic book artist (b. 1920)

Holidays and observances[link]

• Christian Feast Day:
  • Oswald of Worcester (in leap year only)
  • February 29 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics): Saint John Cassian
• The fourth day of Ayyám-i-Há (Bahá'í Faith)
• Rare Disease Day (in leap years)

Folk traditions[link]

There is a popular tradition in some countries that a woman may propose marriage to a man on February 29. If the man refuses, he then is obligated to give the woman money or buy her a dress. In upper-class societies in Europe, if the man refuses marriage, he then must purchase 12 pairs of gloves for the woman, suggesting that the gloves are to hide the woman's embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. In Ireland, the tradition is supposed to originate from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick.^[8][9]

In Greece it is considered unlucky to marry on Leap Day.^[10]

Rare Leap Day milestones[link]

The only notable person known to have both been born and died on February 29 was Sir James Wilson (1812–1880), Premier of Tasmania.^[11]

In 2012, one of the rarest feats in the annals of family planning had occurred. A Utah woman gave birth on a third consecutive Leap Day, tying a record set in the 1960s. The only other known case of triple Leap Day babies is a family in Norway, which logged Feb. 29 births in 1960, 1964 and 1968, according to the Guinness World Records press office.^[12]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: February 29

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada

Clint Dempsey

Dempsey playing for the United States in 2011.
Personal information
Full name	Clinton Drew Dempsey
Date of birth	(1983-03-09) March 9, 1983 (age 29)
Place of birth	Nacogdoches, Texas, United States
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position	Winger / Attacking Midfielder / Forward
Club information
Current club	Fulham
Number	23
Youth career
1998–2001	Dallas Texans
2001–2003	Furman Paladins
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2007	New England Revolution	71	(25)
2007–	Fulham	184	(50)
National team‡
2004–	United States	83	(25)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:20, 17 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:00, 29 February 2012 (UTC)

Clinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey (born March 9, 1983) is an American association football player who plays for Fulham and the United States national team. He usually plays as a deep-lying forward.

Growing up in Nacogdoches, Texas, Dempsey played for one of the top youth soccer clubs in the state, the Dallas Texans, before playing for Furman University's men's soccer team. In 2004, Dempsey was drafted by Major League Soccer club New England Revolution, where he quickly integrated himself into the starting lineup. Hindered initially by a jaw injury, he would eventually score 25 goals in 71 appearances with the Revolution. Since 2007, Dempsey has played for Premier League team Fulham and has earned the club record for goals scored in Premier League matches.

Dempsey first represented the United States at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004, against Jamaica; he was then named to the squad for the 2006 World Cup and scored the team's only goal of the tournament. Dempsey recorded the fastest goal in U.S. World Cup qualifying history by scoring after 53 seconds of an eventual 8–0 defeat of Barbados. In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Dempsey scored against England, becoming the second American, after Brian McBride to score goals in multiple World Cup tournaments. Dempsey became the first American player to score a hat-trick in the English Premier League in the 5–2 win over Newcastle United in January 2012.^[2]

Youth[link]

Dempsey was born in Nacogdoches, Texas and, for much of his childhood, his family lived in a trailer park, where he and his siblings grew up playing soccer with the local children or anyone they could find. His older brother Ryan was offered a tryout for the Dallas Texans, an elite youth soccer club, and brought Clint, who was noticed and recruited while passing time juggling a ball on the sidelines.^[3] Dempsey became a standout on the team at an early age, but had to quit due to his family's time and money constraints as his eldest sister Jennifer was becoming a ranked youth tennis player.^[4] Several parents of his teammates with the Texans offered to assist the Dempseys with expenses and travel, allowing him to rejoin the club.

He went on to be the captain and high scorer of the Texans and was honored with the MVP of the Tampa Bay Sun Bowl tournament. Dempsey studied the play of Argentina's national team, especially Diego Maradona. Clint was heartbroken when the news came to Nacogdoches that Maradona would not be playing in the 1994 World Cup game played in the Cotton Bowl.^[5] He attended Furman University as a health and exercise major and a key player for Paladins soccer. In his three seasons at Furman, Dempsey started in central midfield for 61 out of 62 games and scored 17 goals.

Club career[link]

New England Revolution[link]

New England Revolution selected Clint Dempsey eighth overall in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. In his rookie season, he started 23 of 24 matches scoring seven goals. Dempsey helped the Revolution to the Eastern Conference Finals and earned 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year Honors. In 2005, Dempsey contributed ten goals and nine assists in 26 games. He scored the game winning goal in the Eastern Conference Final on his way to an appearance in the MLS Cup Final. In 2006, Dempsey added 8 more goals, but missed significant time in the playoffs due to injury. He came on as a substitute in the MLS Cup Final, but the Revolution lost their second straight final, this time in a penalty shoot-out.

Fulham[link]

2006–07 season[link]

Dempsey training with Fulham in August 2009

In December 2006, English club Fulham offered MLS $4 million for the transfer of Dempsey, then the largest amount ever offered for an MLS player and became another American addition to the Cottagers roster.^[6][7] On January 11, 2007, he was granted a work permit from the Home Office as Fulham announced his signing on a long-term deal.^[8] This made Dempsey the most expensive US export to the Premier League in a deal worth a reported £2 million.^[9] He made his Fulham debut in a 1–1 home draw against Tottenham Hotspur on January 20, 2007.^[10] His FA Cup debut followed seven days later in a 3–0 home win over Stoke City.^[11] Dempsey scored his first goal for Fulham on 5 May as he struck the only goal of a 1–0 home win over Liverpool.^[12] This goal saved Fulham from relegation and effectively guaranteed their place in the top-flight for the following season.^[13]

2007–08 season[link]

On August 25, Dempsey scored his first goal of the 2007–08 season in a 2–1 away loss to Aston Villa.^[14] He followed this up by scoring in Fulham's next fixture in a 3–3 home draw against Tottenham on 1 September.^[15] Two weeks later, he opened the scoring in Fulham's 1–1 away draw against Wigan Athletic.^[16] These goals gave Dempsey three in as many games after Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez's decision to convert Dempsey into a striker following an injury to compatriot Brian McBride.^[17] On September 29, Dempsey was involved in an aerial collision with John Terry during a 0–0 draw at Stamford Bridge which resulted in Terry being substituted.^[18] There was some suggestion that Dempsey used a deliberate elbow on Terry,^[19] however, he wasn't punished for the incident as referee Martin Atkinson didn't report it to the Football Association.^[20] On November 3, Dempsey scored during Fulham's 3–1 home win over Reading to secure just a second league win of the season.^[21] He scored his last goals of the season in a 1–1 home draw with Wigan Athletic and 5–1 away loss to Tottenham in December.^[22][23] In May 2008, Fulham announced Dempsey had signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club until the summer of 2010.^[24] Fulham beat Portsmouth 1–0 on the final day of the season to secure Premier League status for another year.^[25] He ended the season as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer with six goals.^[26]

2008–09 season[link]

Dempsey scored his first goal of the 2008–09 season in a 1–1 away draw at Portsmouth on October 26.^[27] His first home goal of the season came in a 3–0 win over Middlesbrough on December 20.^[28] Eight days later he scored twice in the West London derby against Chelsea which included a last-minute equaliser in a 2–2 home draw.^[29] On February 24, 2009, Dempsey scored the first FA Cup goal of his career in a 2–1 home win over Swansea City in the fifth-round.^[30] His final home goal of the season came in a 2–1 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on March 11.^[31] Fulham came from a goal down to beat Manchester City 3–1 away from home as Dempsey scored two goals on April 12.^[32] For the second successive season, Dempsey ended as Fulham's top Premier League goalscorer joint with Andrew Johnson with seven goals.^[33] These goals helped Fulham secure a seventh-place finish in the Premier League, the highest in the club's history, and confirmed their qualification for the newly formed UEFA Europa League for the following season.^[34]

2009–10 season[link]

On August 13, 2009, Dempsey signed a contract extension to remain with Fulham through 2013.^[35] On August 20, he scored his first goal in European competition, in the newly formed Europa League, netting Fulham's second goal in a 3–1 win against Amkar Perm in the play-off round.^[36] On December 30, La Gazzetta dello Sport named Dempsey as one of the top eleven Premier League players of the season.^[37] On January 17, 2010, Dempsey suffered a suspected cruciate knee ligament injury in a 2–0 away defeat to Blackburn Rovers.^[38] On March 11, Dempsey returned, coming on in the last minute of Fulham's loss away to Juventus and then completed 72 minutes of their away loss to Manchester United in the league.^[39] On March 18, Dempsey came off the bench against Juventus in their second leg last 16 tie in the Europa League and scored the winner on a long chip shot. Fulham won the game 4-1 and this game awarded Fulham an award, as well as Dempsey receiving an award from his 'Wonderful' (Quote from the commentator on ESPN) goal.^[40] The Guardian suggested that the goal "might become the most famous goal in Fulham's history".^[41] On May 12, Dempsey replaced Bobby Zamora in the 55th minute of the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final, thus making history in becoming the first ever American to appear in a major European final. In the end, Fulham lost the match, as Atlético Madrid's Diego Forlán scored in the 116th minute of extra time, giving Atlético a 2–1 win.^[42] His performances throughout 2009–10 earned him the designation of Most Valuable Player among Americans in Europe by SoccerOverThere.com, among other sources.^[43]

2010–11 season[link]

Dempsey remained a regular starter, one of only five Americans in the Premier League to do so currently. On September 18, 2010, he scored an equalising goal on 56 minutes with a header against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in the 1–1 draw and continue Fulham's undefeated streak in the Barclays Premier League.^[44] On October 2, he scored against West Ham United past Robert Green, the same keeper that he had scored against in the World Cup.^[45] He then continued his form by scoring two goals against Wigan Athletic on October 30 as Fulham ran out 2–0 winners.^[46][47] On January 22, Dempsey scored another double versus Stoke, putting Fulham temporarily out of relegation contention.^[48]

On March 19, Dempsey became the first American to score 10 goals in a Premier League season, beating Brian McBride's previous record of nine, also set while at Fulham in the 2005–06 season and 2006–07 season.^[49]

Clint Dempsey broke Fulham's Premier League goalscoring record by netting twice in a 3–0 victory over Bolton on April 27, 2011. He has scored a total of 33 goals for the team in the Premier League, topping both Brian McBride and Steed Malbranque, each with 32. With these goals, he scored 12 goals for Fulham in the 2010–11 season.^[50]

At the end of the season, Dempsey was voted Fulham player of the season by the Fulham fans and his 12 Premier League strikes meant he was the club's leading goalscorer for the campaign.^[51]

2011–12 season[link]

Dempsey marked his return to the first team by scoring a brace in the first leg of their Europa League play-off clash against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk at Craven Cottage. Dempsey ended with two goals as Fulham ran out 3–0 winners, setting up a comfortable second leg in Ukraine.^[52] On December 5, 2011, Dempsey scored in the 85th minute to secure a 1–0 win against Liverpool at Craven Cottage.^[53] The goal propelled Dempsey to become the most prolific American goalscorer in the Premier League, passing Fulham legend Brian McBride.^[54] Dempsey scored his fifth Premier League goal of the campaign with a header in a 2–0 home win against Bolton on December 17, lifting his side six points clear of the drop zone.^[55]

In the club's West London derby against rivals Chelsea on Boxing Day, Dempsey scored the equalizing goal as the game ended in a 1–1 draw.^[56]. He then scored the first hat-trick of his career^[57] on 7 January 2012 against Charlton Athletic in their FA Cup Third Round game which ended in a 4–0 victory.^[58][59] On 21 January 2012, Dempsey scored another hat-trick against Newcastle while the game ended in a 5–2 win for Fulham^[60] and sent his goal tally in the Premier League to nine for the season.^[61] With his hat-trick against Newcastle, he became the first ever American player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League.^[62] Dempsey scored his 10th Premier League goal of the season, 16th in all competitions, in a 1-1 draw against former manager Roy Hodgson's West Brom on 1 February 2011.^[63] This recent run of good form has seen Dempsey play higher-up the field into an orthodox striker position. He "made" another goal in a 2-1 win against Stoke City on 11 February 2012. His 28th-minute shot hit the crossbar and was deflected by Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen. It was therefore awarded as an own goal off the goalie. His form this season continued against Wolverhampton Wanderers where Dempsey scored twice in a 5-0 victory for Fulham. ^[64] On 08 March 2012, the day before Dempsey's 29th birthday, Fulham manager Martin Jol revealed that the club have opened talks with the American over a new three-year contract.^[65]

Dempsey scored his 14th and 15th Premier League goals of the campaign, bringing his tally to 21 in all competitions, in a 3-0 away win over Bolton Wanderers on 7 April, the first a free kick and the second a header.^[66] The strikes moved Dempsey past Louis Saha's record of 13 Premier League goals for the club in a single season.^[67] Dempsey finished fourth on the FWA Footballer of the Year list behind winner Robin van Persie and Manchester United pair Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, who came in second and third, respectively.^[68] Dempsey became the first American to reach the milestone of 50 goals in the Premier League, with a stunning free-kick against Sunderland in the last home game of the season.^[69]

International career[link]

Dempsey training with the United States in April 2006

Dempsey first played for the United States national team at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in the United Arab Emirates. He made his first appearance with the senior team on November 17, 2004, against Jamaica. He has frequently lined up as a striker due to his scoring threat and aerial ability, but his preferred and more normal role is on the wing. He won the highest individual honor in American soccer when he was named Honda Player of the Year for 2006, beating Fulham teammates Kasey Keller and Brian McBride in a poll of sportswriters. Dempsey received 237 points in voting by 207 sports journalists to claim the award.

On May 2, 2006, Dempsey was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was the only American player to score a goal in the tournament^[70] with his equalizing goal in the Americans' eventual 2–1 loss to Ghana.

In the United States' opening 2010 World Cup qualifier, Dempsey recorded the fastest goal in U.S. qualifying history with a chest trap and sliding shot 53 seconds into a 8–0 defeat of Barbados. But thereafter, Dempsey experienced a dip in form leading some to doubt his first-choice status with the national team. However, Dempsey turned his fortunes around in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In the final group stage match against Egypt, Dempsey scored a trademark diving header off a Jonathan Spector cross, making the final result 3–0. This, combined with Brazil's 3–0 victory against Italy in the other group match that was being played simultaneously, put the U.S. through to the semifinals.^[71] In the semi-final match against Spain, Dempsey scored to put the USA up 2–0 to send them to the finals. He was named the Man of the Match for his performance.^[72] Dempsey scored in his third straight game in the Confederations Cup Final against Brazil, redirecting a similar cross from Spector in the 10th minute to open the scoring.^[73] Following the loss, he was awarded the Bronze Ball as the tournament's 3rd best performer.^[74][75] He ended the World Cup qualifying campaign tied with Landon Donovan as the team's second top scorer, behind Jozy Altidore, with five goals in thirteen matches.

On June 12, 2010, Dempsey became the second American (after Brian McBride) to score in more than one World Cup when he scored the equalizer goal against England in the Americans' first game of the 2010 World Cup after the West Ham and English goalkeeper Robert Green made a major error. Dempsey's disallowed goal later in the tournament vs. Algeria in the group stage was very controversial. Dempsey was called offside, but the replay showed that he was most likely not offside. It didn't matter because later that game, his teammate Landon Donovan scored a late stoppage time goal to win the game 1–0.^[76]

During the 2011 Gold Cup, Dempsey played a key role in helping the U.S. advance to the finals. In the group stages he recorded a goal in a 2-0 win over Canada, and in the quarterfinals, Dempsey also scored a goal in a 2-0 win over Jamaica. In the semi-finals against Panama, who had shockingly defeated the U.S. 1-0 in the group stage, Dempsey scored the only goal to advance the Americans to the final. With a sliding touch Dempsey redirected U.S. Midfielder Landon Donovan's pass into the net.^[77]

On February 29, 2012, Dempsey scored the lone goal in an international friendly against four time World Cup Champion Italy. U.S. Forward Jozy Atidore assisted on the goal, allowing the U.S. to win for the first time against Italy in 11 games played since 1934.^[78]

International goals[link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	May 28, 2005	Chicago, Illinois	England	1–2	1–2	Friendly match
2	July 7, 2005	Seattle, Washington	Cuba	1–1	4–1	2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3	February 2, 2006	San Francisco, California	Japan	2–0	3–2	Friendly
4	March 1, 2006	Kaiserslautern, Germany	Poland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
5	May 26, 2006	Cleveland, Ohio	Venezuela	2–0	2–0	Friendly
6	June 22, 2006	Nuremberg, Germany	Ghana	1–1	1–2	2006 FIFA World Cup
7	June 2, 2007	San Jose, California	China PR	3–1	4–1	Friendly
8	June 7, 2007	Carson, California	Guatemala	1–0	1–0	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup
9	September 8, 2007	Chicago, Illinois	Brazil	2–2	2–4	Friendly
10	June 15, 2008	Carson, California	Barbados	1–0	8–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
11				5–0
12	September 6, 2008	Havana, Cuba	Cuba	1–0	1–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
13	September 10, 2008	Bridgeview, Illinois	Trinidad and Tobago	2–0	3–0	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
14	June 21, 2009	Rustenburg, South Africa	Egypt	3–0	3–0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
15	June 24, 2009	Bloemfontein, South Africa	Spain	2–0	2–0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
16	June 28, 2009	Johannesburg, South Africa	Brazil	1–0	2–3	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
17	September 5, 2009	Sandy, Utah	El Salvador	1–1	2–1	2010 FIFA World Cup Qual.
18	May 30, 2010	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Turkey	2–1	2–1	Friendly
19	June 12, 2010	Rustenburg, South Africa	England	1–1	1-1	2010 FIFA World Cup
20	June 7, 2011	Detroit, Michigan	Canada	2–0	2–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
21	June 19, 2011	Washington, D.C., United States	Jamaica	2–0	2–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
22	June 22, 2011	Houston, Texas	Panama	1–0	1–0	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
23	October 8, 2011	Miami, Florida	Honduras	1–0	1-0	Friendly
24	November 15, 2011	Ljubljana, Slovenia	Slovenia	2–1	3–2	Friendly
25	February 29, 2012	Genoa, Italy	Italy	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Playing style[link]

Known for his toughness, Dempsey played two games with a broken jaw in 2004 before the team trainer diagnosed it, and upon his return, he played through the pain of a sprained ankle. Despite usually playing in wide positions, he frequently scores close-range goals and has scored repeatedly with diving headers in crowded situations. His tenacity in midfield combined with his audacious dribbling skills frequently results in opponents fouling him, and Dempsey has gained a reputation for fierce play.

This has on several occasions lapsed into violent conduct. He was suspended by the New England Revolution for two weeks in March 2006 for a fist fight with teammate Joe Franchino during a practice game^[4] and was twice suspended by MLS during the 2006 season for violent conduct against opponents, including an elbow that broke the jaw of national teammate Jimmy Conrad. In a similar incident with Fulham in 2007, Dempsey accidentally broke the cheekbone of Chelsea defender John Terry in an aerial challenge but was not penalized.^[79] A further similar incident, in December 2011, took place in a match against Manchester United, with Dempsey accidentally elbowing opponent Phil Jones in the side of the head and causing a suspected broken cheekbone. Again no action was taken by the referee.^[80]

Dempsey is a versatile attacking midfielder normally played on the left or right for Fulham and the United States. However, he has proven to be more of a threat the closer to goal he gets. His goals against Egypt and Spain in the Confederations Cup came almost immediately after being moved to forward by a substitution from Bob Bradley.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 06 May 2012^[81][82]

International[link]

As of 29 February 2012^[83]

Honors[link]

Club[link]

New England Revolution

• Runner-up
  • MLS Cup (2): 2005, 2006
  • MLS Supporters' Shield (1): 2005

Fulham

• Runner-up
  • UEFA Europa League (1): 2009–10

International[link]

United States

• Winner
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup (2): 2005, 2007
• Runner-up
  • FIFA Confederations Cup (1): 2009

Individual[link]

• MLS Rookie of the Year Award (1): 2004
• Honda Player of the Year (2): 2006, 2011
• MLS Best XI (2): 2005, 2006
• U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year (2): 2007, 2011
• FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Ball (1): 2009
• Fulham Player of the Season (2): 2010/11, 2011/12
• Premiership Player of the Season: 4th place in 2011/12

Personal life[link]

Dempsey is married to Bethany Keegan Dempsey. They have a daughter named Elyse and a son named Jackson.They live in Wimbledon.

Music[link]

One of Dempsey's passions outside of football is hip hop music. Using the alias "Deuce," he, along with fellow Texas rappers XO and the late Houston rapper Big Hawk from the Screwed Up Click, are featured rapping the song "Don't Tread" in a Nike football advertising campaign for the 2006 World Cup with the intention to showcase both the sport's working-class roots and the United States team ahead of the World Cup.^[84] The song's video is dedicated to his sister Jennifer, who, at age sixteen, was suddenly struck with a fatal brain aneurysm. At Dempsey's request, the video ends with a shot of him placing a flower at her grave.

Notes[link]

1. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the MLS Cup

References[link]

External links[link]

• Clint Dempsey career stats at Soccerbase
• Clint Dempsey News followUSsoccer.com
• Clint Dempsey profile Fulham FC
• Clint Dempsey Yanks Abroad
• Dempsey Footballdatabase.com
• Andrea Scanzi La palombella rossa di Clint Dempsey La Stampa, 19 March 2010
• Premier League profile
• Profile at SoccerSurfer.com
• Clint Dempsey – UEFA competition record
• Clint Dempsey on Twitter

United States squads v t e United States squad – 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (3rd Title) 1 Hahnemann 2 Hejduk 3 Vanney 4 Onyewu 5 O'Brien 6 Cherundolo 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Quaranta 10 Donovan 11 Casey 12 Conrad 13 Noonan 14 Armas 15 Olsen 16 Wolff 18 Keller 19 Ralston 21 Davis 22 Sanneh 23 Pope 24 Reis 25 Mastroeni Coach: Arena v t e United States squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Albright 3 Bocanegra 4 Mastroeni 5 O'Brien 6 Cherundolo 7 Lewis 8 Dempsey 9 Johnson 10 Reyna (c) 11 Ching 12 Berhalter 13 Conrad 14 Olsen 15 Convey 16 Wolff 17 Beasley 18 Keller 19 Hahnemann 20 McBride 21 Donovan 22 Onyewu 23 Pope Coach: Arena v t e United States squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions (4th Title) 1 Howard 2 Hejduk 3 Bocanegra 4 Mastroeni 5 Feilhaber 6 M. Bradley 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Johnson 10 Donovan 11 Ching 12 DeMerit 13 Bornstein 14 Ralston 15 Simek 16 Parkhurst 17 Spector 18 Keller 19 Clark 20 Twellman 21 Mapp 22 Onyewu 23 Guzan Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Runners-up 1 Howard 2 Bornstein 3 Bocanegra 4 Casey 5 Onyewu 6 Pearce 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Davies 10 Donovan 11 Wynne 12 M. Bradley 13 Clark 14 Califf 15 DeMerit 16 Kljestan 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Adu 20 Torres 21 Spector 22 Feilhaber 23 Robles Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra (c) 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Beasley 8 Dempsey 9 Gomez 10 Donovan 11 Holden 12 Bornstein 13 Clark 14 Buddle 15 DeMerit 16 Torres 17 Altidore 18 Guzan 19 Edu 20 Findley 21 Goodson 22 Feilhaber 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley v t e United States squad – 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup Runners-up 1 Howard 2 Spector 3 Bocanegra 4 M. Bradley 5 Onyewu 6 Cherundolo 7 Edu 8 Dempsey 9 Agudelo 10 Donovan 11 Wondolowski 12 Bornstein 13 Jones 14 Lichaj 15 Ream 16 Kljestan 17 Altidore 18 Rimando 19 Rogers 20 Adu 21 Goodson 22 Bedoya 23 Hahnemann Coach: B. Bradley