Class of 2011 - WCU Athletics Hall of Fame - Terry Helms

Four former student-athletes comprise the 2011 Western Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame class announced on July 6th 2011. The 22nd class will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame on the weekend of November 4-6, 2011.

Today we'll look at the first of the four to be inducted:

"Terry Helms (Track & Field, Cross Country, 1968-72) amassed 15 individual event championships and guided WCU to three district championships as a distance runner almost single-handedly putting Catamount Cross Country on the map.  A native of Kannapolis, N.C., Helms won nine of the 11 meets the team entered as a freshman, while also setting five course records and pacing the Catamounts to a 25th-place finish in the NAIA national championship meet. In 1969, he claimed top podium honors in five meets while setting three course records before finishing sixth in the NAIA national championship meet to become WCU's first-ever All-American in cross country. Over his final two seasons in cross country, Helms led WCU finishes of 15th and a school-best 13th in the national championship event as a senior.

Following his graduation from WCU, Helms embarked on a 32-year teaching
career including 26 years at Ledford Middle School in Thomasville, N.C. He retired from teaching in 2007 before passing away from mesothelioma in 2008.

In 2010, Helms' college roommate at WCU - 1972 graduate Gaither Keener and his wife Beverly - created an endowed scholarship fund in Terry's memory. The Terry M. Helms Endowed Scholarship Fund provides scholarship support for one WCU track or cross country distance runner each year."

Courtesy: WCU Sports Information