National Football Foundation

Todd Helton compiled a 3.89 GPA, graduating ninth in a class of 261 students at Knoxville Central High School (Tenn.). A member of the National Honor Society and Math Honor Society, he earned Scholar-Athlete honors from the East Tennessee Chapter of the NFF. As Central’s starting quarterback, Helton was named All-America by Super-Prep Magazine and Tom Lemming’s Prep Football Report. He threw 55 career touchdown passes at quarterback, and he intercepted 23 passes as a safety. Helton led his team to a 27-3 mark over three seasons. He also lettered in baseball, leading Central to a state championship as a sophomore.

Helton received an athletic scholarship from the University of Tennessee to play both football and baseball. He was named a Gatorade Player of the Year for football and baseball at Tennessee. Entering his junior season in 1994, he was the back-up to senior Jerry Colquitt and ahead of Peyton Manning, then a true freshman. After Colquitt tore knee ligaments in the season opener at UCLA, Helton took over as the starter. Three weeks later against Mississippi State, he suffered a knee injury himself, and he was replaced by Manning. Helton appeared in 12 games during his career with the Vols, completing 41 of 75 passes for 484 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Helton is a former American professional baseball first baseman who played his entire 17-year career for the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball. He was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove Award winner. He holds the Colorado Rockies club records for hits (2,519), home runs (369), doubles (592), walks (1,335), runs scored (1,401), runs batted in (1,406), games played (2,247) and total bases (4,292).