Legendary NJ athlete Carli Lloyd calls it quits

The name Carli Lloyd may not be the most familiar among even avid sports fans, but she is probably one of the best athletes to come out of New Jersey in the history of sport.

She also happens to be from my childhood hometown of Delran.

Carli Lloyd set records at Delran High School and went on to be a standout start at Rutgers University. She was First Team All-Big East for four straight years at Rutgers, then went on to a storied career with the US Women's Olympic Soccer Team.

She is a role model for young female athletes and a role model for all young people in general. She has displayed not only tremendous talent as a soccer player but also as a leader and solid citizen.

Fans have watched Lloyd lead many of her squads and manage her career with the poise and grace rarely seen in modern-day athletes. Always humble, yet always a fierce competitor on the field.

She played her final game with a club team in what is as close to her hometown as possible this week for the New York/New Jersey Gotham FC in Chester, PA. She had two shots, but no goals in what ended in a scoreless tie.

Lloyd is finally calling it quits at the age of 39. She may not have made the millions of dollars that modern-era athletes pull down these days, but she made a huge positive impact, which is rare in today's world.

Happy trails Carli Lloyd! You made us proud and did yourself proud in a long and successful career.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis Malloy's own.