Why Todd Helton's baseball Hall of Fame display has a Tennessee football helmet

Todd Helton sometimes gets recognized in Knoxville, his hometown and the place where he grew into a baseball star.

But people often don't bring up his baseball accolades . They bring up the fact he was a Tennessee football quarterback.

Helton, a two-sport athlete at Tennessee, is being enshrined Sunday in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. His display in the Hall includes a Tennessee helmet as a tribute to his days as a football player.

Todd Helton played football at the University of Tennessee

Helton made his mark in baseball, but he was a football star who came to Tennessee to play both sports. He started in 1994 after Jerry Colquitt was injured . Helton started three games before he also was injured.

He appeared in 12 games during his career with the Vols, completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

At Central High, Helton was the 1992 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year in football and baseball.

Todd Helton and Peyton Manning were teammates at Tennessee

Helton stepped into the game at UCLA as a sophomore ahead of two heralded freshmen, including Peyton Manning. Manning took over after Helton was injured against Mississippi State.

Helton completed 36 of 66 passes for 406 yards with two touchdowns to three interceptions in three starts.

Manning, of course, went on to have a legendary Tennessee career on his way to being the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. He rewrote the UT record book during his four years, going 39-6 as the starter. He holds the record for passing yards (11,201) and passing touchdowns (89).

Helton, who played his entire 17-year major league career with the Colorado Rockies, and Manning, who played for the Broncos from 2012 to 2015, crossed paths when they played professionally in Denver in 2012 and 2013.

How Todd Helton reached the Hall of Fame

Helton, a first baseman who retired in 2013, had a .316 career batting average and holds Rockies franchise records for games played (2,247), hits (2,519), runs (1,401), home runs (369), and RBIs (1,406). Helton, a Knoxville Central product, was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, three-time Gold Glove winner, the 2000 batting champion and was a top-10 MVP candidate three times.

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He is the second Rockies player elected to the Hall of Fame, joining 2020 inductee Larry Walker. The two were teammates in Colorado.

Helton had his best season in 2000, when he led the National League in eight offensive categories, including hits (216), doubles (59), RBIs (147) and batting average (.372). Helton was the first player in MLB history to have 35 or more doubles 10 years in a row.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Todd Helton's baseball Hall of Fame display has a Tennessee football helmet