COLORADO NEWS

Colorado Rockies legend Todd Helton inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame

Jul 22, 2024, 9:21 AM | Updated: 11:51 am

Rockies legend Todd Helton has been honored with induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, making him only the second member of the Colorado Rockies to receive this prestigious recognition in Cooperstown.

In his emotional induction speech, Helton shared impactful stories about his career with the Rockies and called Tony Vitello, his college coach at Tennessee, “the best head college coach”

(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Todd’s claim to fame could have been that he was the quarterback at the University of Tennessee between future first-round draft picks Heath Schuler and Peyton Manning, but he was destined for bigger things on the baseball diamond.

After a knee injury in 1994 paved the way for Manning to become Tennessee’s quarterback, Todd shifted all his focus to baseball. He was named player of the year by Baseball America.

He was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the number eight overall pick in the 1995 amateur draft and never left the Mile High City. After becoming the starting first baseman in 1995, Helton finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and posted a .315 batting average with 25 home runs and 97 RBIs.

Read more about Helton’s emotional acceptance speech from our partners at Denver Sports.

Denver metro area school district start dates

Colorado News

Bojangles...

Shawn Patrick

Chicken chain, Bojangles, just opened its first Colorado location

I wouldn’t say there is a need for more fast food fried chicken joints in Colorado, but judging by the lines at Raising Canes and Chick-fil-A, if you build it, […]

1 hour ago

Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

At age 83, a Beatle is headed to Denver for a show at Coors Field

The last time Paul McCartney performed in Denver was in 2010 at the Pepsi Center (now Ball Arena), but after 15 years the former Beatle is headed back to the […]

2 hours ago

Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post...

Shawn Patrick

Reservations for all of 2025 at Denver’s Casa Bonita open next week

As the hype continues to die down at Casa Bonita in Lakewood, more and more opportunities for reservations continue to pop up. What started as an invite-only situation turned into […]

2 hours ago

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Study says Denver has some of the worst DMVs in the country

No one in history has ever RAVED about their experience at the DMV, other than maybe being thankful that it wasn’t AS BAD as they expected. But some DMVs are […]

2 hours ago

Photo credit should read TIM SLOAN/AFP via Getty Images...

Shawn Patrick

Free Slurpees and tongue tattoos available at Colorado 7-Elevens July 11

Every year on July 11th, or “7-Eleven Day,” you can expect free Slurpees at 7-Eleven stores as they’ve done for years, but this year they’re also giving a way something […]

1 day ago

Jon Amundson...

Shawn Patrick

LOOK – Bears join line of fans waiting to get into Red Rocks concert

Sure, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is in the mountains and it’s normal to see wildlife in those areas, but having lived in Colorado my entire life, I don’t ever remember seeing […]

1 day ago

Colorado Rockies legend Todd Helton inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame