Rick Helling

Did You Know?

• Writer Chuck Klosterman describes Rick Helling as his personal archenemy.
• On March 17, 2009, Helling was hired as a special assistant to the head of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Donald Fehr.
• He coaches football at Minnetonka High School; NHL player K'Andre Miller considers Helling a mentor.

Early life and college

Helling attended Lakota High School in Lakota, North Dakota for three years, then graduated from Shanley High School in Fargo, North Dakota. He earned letters in football, basketball, and baseball, was a three-time All-Conference honoree in football, and led the state in scoring in basketball. He accepted a football scholarship to North Dakota but redshirted as a freshman, then transferred to Kishwaukee College to play baseball. His performance there earned him a baseball scholarship to Stanford University, where he joined Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. The Texas Rangers selected him in the first round of the 1992 Major League Baseball draft.

Baseball career

Rick Helling was one of the first players in Major League Baseball to speak out against performance-enhancing drugs, raising the issue with the Players Union back in 1998. He later served on the Union’s Executive Board from 1999 to 2007. Helling was part of two World Series-winning Florida Marlins teams, in 1997 and 2003. Even though a trade to the Texas Rangers kept him off the field for the 1997 postseason, his former Marlins teammates gave him a ring for his contributions earlier that season.

While pitching for the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City on August 13, 1996, he threw a perfect game against the Nashville Sounds, striking out four batters. In 1998, he won five straight road starts—a Texas record that stood until Scott Feldman broke it in 2009. That same year, Helling went 20-7, tying David Cone and Roger Clemens for the most wins in the American League, and set a club mark with 11 victories away from home. The following season, he started 35 games for the Rangers, posting a 13-11 record while surrendering a league-high 41 home runs.

In 2001, he led the majors in hits allowed (256), earned runs (124), and homers allowed (38). After a short stint with the Baltimore Orioles, he was traded back to the Marlins. He missed the 2004 season due to injury. On February 5, 2007, Helling announced his retirement to focus on his family.