KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee baseball coach Rod Delmonico is the program's winningest coach of all time.
From 1990 to 2007, Delmonico achieved a 699-396 overall record with the help of many star Vols, but he described Todd Helton as the one player who "put Tennessee on the map."
Helton played under Delmonico from 1993 to 1995. The Knoxville native and Central High School graduate made an impact from the start of his journey playing at Tennessee.
"He was like a veteran as a freshman," Delmonico said. "It was like we had a junior on the field... he took control of our team as a leader, and it's why he's going to the Hall of Fame."
Helton will be officially inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 21. His career at Tennessee and 17 years with the Colorado Rockies put him in a position to receive the sport's highest honor.
At Tennessee, Helton played first base and was a pitcher. Delmonico reflected on Helton's versatility and talent when he was a star for the Vols.
"Not many people talk about Todd Helton as a pitcher," he said. "He was one of our best pitchers if not the best pitcher. As a closer, we were 96-4 with him in the bullpen; he just did not give up a lead with anyone on."
According to his coaches and teammates, Helton could pretty much do everything on the field.
"To be able to play first base, be our closer, be our number three hitter, and then our best hitter, and I didn't have one penny invested in him because he was on a football scholarship," Delmonico said. "I had my best player for free."
At Central High School, Helton played baseball and football, and he went on to do the same thing in college. As a pitcher and a quarterback, Delmonico remembers checking in to ensure Helton's arm was functioning correctly during Friday and Saturday turnarounds.
"He played football and baseball his whole life, and when he got to me, his arm was tender," he said. "If he pitched on a Friday night, sometimes he couldn't pitch on a Saturday, so I would ask Todd if he could close, and he'd look at me and say, 'Coach, I got nine pitches, come get me in the ninth. I can get them out.' He could get three outs in nine pitches, it was unbelievable."
Being a two-sport star came with a lot of pressure and preparation. Omaha and the College World Series were always on Helton's mind, and getting there was something he was determined to help his team do.
"It wasn't about individual records; Todd Helton wanted to win," Delmonico said. "It was about taking our team to Omaha."
He was the player who took Tennessee to new heights.
"Every program has one player; LSU had Ben McDonald, and Todd Helton put Tennessee on the map," he said. "That's when Tennessee became nationally known. Todd Helton was our guy. What Tennessee did this year started with Todd Helton when he walked on campus."
Helton's success continued in Colorado, where he played at the pro level. For his entire 17-year MLB career, Helton was a star for the Rockies. By retirement, he was a five-time MLB All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner and three-time Gold Glove winner. Delmonico takes pride in knowing he had a part in developing Helton to play with the pros.
"I'm excited that I had the opportunity to coach him," Delmonico said. "I've got tremendous memories I'll take to my grave watching Todd play and watching him compete."
Just knowing one of the best baseball players of all time, is pretty cool too.
"When you go to the Hall of Fame, you're one of the greatest players of all time, and it gives me chill bumps; I'm just so proud of him and happy for him and his family," he said.
Assistant coaches and players help determine the head coach's success with a program. Delmonico said the best thing he did as a coach and for Helton's career was simply "write his name in the lineup every game and spell it correctly." Now, it will be amazing to witness his name go up in the Hall of Fame.
"He was the best baseball player I ever coached."
