Published September 19, 2026 7:36pm
Todd Helton’s statue unveiling was the rare time a big moment overwhelmed the Rockies’ Hall of Famer.
“It’ll choke you up a little bit,” the franchise’s longtime first baseman told reporters Saturday.
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After the Rockies debuted outside Coors Field the 17-foot, roughly 1,000-pound bronze statue of the longtime first baseman, Helton expressed his gratitude for what he called “the ultimate honor.”
The statue stands near the corner of 20th and Blake. It depicts Helton raising his arms straight overhead after the series-sweeping out in a sweep of the Diamondbacks in the 2007 National League Championship Series. The win sent the Rockies to their only World Series appearance.
Todd Helton thanks fans outside Coors Field as the Colorado Rockies unveil a bronze statue honoring him before a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Denver, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/RJ Sangosti)
Helton thought of his late father, Jerry Helton, who died in 2015.
“It does get me choked up a little bit when I start thinking about my dad, what he would be thinking and how he would be acting and how proud he would be,” Helton said.
And he thought of his youngest daughter, Gentry.
“Looking into my daughter’s eyes, seeing her, she didn’t get to see me play that much (so it means a lot),” Helton said.
Helton played his entire 17-year career with the Rockies and holds most of their career hitting records. He collected 2,519 hits over 2,247 games. He was a five-time All-Star and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.
“It means a ton,” Helton said of the statue. “I’m very appreciative of the honor.”
The Rockies in August unveiled a bronze statue of Larry Walker, the team’s first Hall of Fame inductee.