Having retired in 2013, former Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton is now heading back to college. On Friday, the Tennessee Volunteers announced that Helton would be joining the team’s baseball staff as the director of player development.
“It’s an honor to have one of Tennessee’s best players coming back to be with our program,” said UT head baseball coach Dave Serrano. “Our players and coaching staff will benefit from having Todd Helton’s presence around the ball field.”
A volunteer position, Helton will be responsible for maintaining alumni relations, assisting with recruiting, collaborating with Tennessee’s coaching staff and helping their current players make informed decisions about pursuing professional careers.
Helton played three years for the Vols baseball team. Following his junior season in 1995, he received the Dick Howser Award as the nation’s top collegiate baseball player. He also started three games as a quarterback for the school’s football team, before a knee injury paved the way for Peyton Manning.
Selected eight overall by the Rockies in the 1995 MLB Draft, Helton would go on to set several records for the team, including hits (2,519), home runs (369), doubles (592), runs scored (1,401), RBIs (1,406), games played (2,247) and total bases (4,292). The team would retire his number in 2014.
