Knoxville native Todd Helton inducted into National Baseball Hall of Fame

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville native Todd Helton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, completing his impressive career arc from Central High School and the University of Tennessee to the pinnacle of Major League Baseball.

Helton, Adrian Beltré, Joe Mauer, and Jim Leyland made up for the four-man 2024 induction class that was officially enshrined in Cooperstown on Sunday.

“The rewards that have come to me are beyond the wildest dreams of a young rookie coming out of the University of Tennessee,” Helton said during his induction speech. “I know I’m a lucky man and all I can say is thank you to everyone’s support who helped me get here and thank you for this tremendous honor.”

He graduated from Knoxville’s Central High School and attended the University of Tennessee from 1993-1995, where he became a dominant force in college baseball and set numerous program records. He is the first University of Tennessee player to be inducted and just the second from an SEC school.

Helton is the all-time leader at Tennessee in career home runs, RBIs, walks and saves. He also holds single-season records for runs batted in, earned run average and saves. Helton was named 1995 National Player of the Year by three different outlets and the SEC Player of the Year after leading the Volunteers to their first College World Series appearance in 44 years.

He also played football at Tennessee, appearing in 12 games during his career as a quarterback. Helton’s display at the Hall of Fame even includes a Tennessee football helmet.

The Colorado Rockies selected Helton eighth overall in the 1995 MLB Draft. He played his entire 17-year Major League career in Denver. Helton was a five-time MLB All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner and four-time Sliver Slugger Award winner. He also helped lead the Rockies to their first and only World Series appearance in franchise history in 2007.

During his induction speech, Helton congratulated Tennessee baseball head coach Tony Vitello and the team on winning the first national championship in program history . He called Vitello, who was in attendance, “the best college coach today.”

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