Number 17

Todd Helton was born and raised in Knoxville Tennessee. He attended Central High School in Knoxville and was an all-around great athlete. He was recruited to the University of Tennessee both as a first baseman for baseball and as a quarterback for football. Although at one point he was placed ahead of Peyton Manning at the quarterback position, baseball was where he had his success. He went on to be drafted by the San Diego Padres but wound up playing 17 seasons for the Colorado Rockies. In those seasons he had several all-star game appearances, and gold glove and silver slugger awards. He now leads the Rockies in several stats such as hits and home runs. He has reached the 2,500 hit mark which is a rare milestone in Major League Baseball. Helton retired from the MLB in 2013. Just recently, he took on the responsibility of alumni relations and recruiting for the University of Tennessee Volunteers baseball team right here in Tennessee.