Joe Rossi Hall of Fame

1991 Hall of Fame Inductee Bill Helman – Denver When an institution retires your jersey number, that’s proof positive of your impact. That’s what transpired for William (Bill) Helman, a baseball coach and athletic director who took Metropolitan State College in Denver to new heights. After coaching baseball at Metro State from 1979-1992, Bill stepped down to focus on his duties as athletic director. His career coaching record at the school was 338-293-2. In April of 1995, the Metro State athletic department honored Bill by retiring his baseball jersey, No. 1, between games of a doubleheader against Mesa State. He became only the second athlete or coach to have his or her jersey retired in the history of Metro State athletics. After earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1967 from the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, Bill joined the U.S. Air Force where he served nine years and resigned with the rank of Captain. He earned two master’s degrees from the University of Northern Colorado in recreation and administration in 1977 and business administration in 1978. Bill’s teams were always competitive and could hit. The Roadrunners were the NAIA team batting champions in 1981 and runners-up in 1987. More than 50 of his players were named to All-American, all-region and all-league teams and several went on to play professionally. He was the founder of the Metro State Indoor Youth Baseball Clinic, honored by the Colorado High School Baseball Umpires Association (CHSBUA) for Outstanding Service to Colorado High School Baseball (1990), was instrumental in establishing the Denver Cup-City Championships (1987-1992) and a great fundraiser for the Metro State baseball program during his coaching career.