Helmut Werner (2005) - Hall of Fame - Randolph-Macon College

Hall of Fame

Helmut Werner

Class
Induction

2005
Sport(s)

Soccer, Administration & Coaches

Helmut Werner's main impact at Randolph-Macon was on the men's soccer field. As Randolph-Macon's head coach for 43 years, he compiled a 417-242-66 (62.1%) record from 1962 through 2004. At the tme of induction, Werner ranks in the top twenty in the nation among all men's soccer coaches, and was among the top ten in NCAA Division III.
During his 43 seasons, Werner's teams had 34 winning campaigns, including ten in a row from 1991 through 2000. The Yellow Jackets were Virginia College Athletic Association (VCAA) champions in 1975 and Virginia Intercollegiate Soccer Association (VISA) champions in 1983, 1985 and 1993. Randolph-Macon participated in the NCAA tournament in 1975 and 1976, and the program was consistently ranked in the South Region while Werner was the coach. He mentored numerous all-conference, all-state, all-region and All-American players.
Because of the success of his teams, Werner earned Coach of the Year honors from various organizations. Those included: Old Dominion Athletic Conference in 1999; VCAA in 1974; VISA in 1974, 1976, 1978, 1983, 1985, 1992 and 1993; and National Soccer Coaches Association of America South Atlantic Region in 1998.
Werner began his athletic career as a soccer player at Lynchburg College. There, he was all-conference, all-state, all-region and an All-American, and was also a team captain. In 1959 he was the top player in the nation among all colleges in both goals and assists. Werner, a physical education major, was named to Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities, and was president of the student body and president of the Honor Court. A 1961 Lynchburg graduate, he was in the first class to be inducted into the college's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.
Besides his role as Randolph-Macon's soccer coach, Werner also served the college in other capacities. He was the swimming coach from 1962 to 1972, earning a 54-41-1 (56.8%) record and leading the team to a small college championship in 1963-64. Werner was the tennis coach from 1962 to 1987 and 1997 to 1999. He had a record of 205-167-3 (55.1%) in that role, and the Yellow Jackets were Mason-Dixon Conference champions in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1968. In addition, he taught physical education classes, and was the athletic department chair from 1987 to 1997 and director of athletics from 1996 to 1997.
In 2002, Werner was inducted into the Virginia-D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame (part of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association) for his involvement in teaching soccer to young people. He has served on the Ashland Youth Soccer Association board of directors and national college soccer rankings committees. Werner played in the National Soccer League in Washington, D.C., in the 1960s and 1970s. He has also been a soccer camp director for over thirty years.
Werner and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of three adult children, Karen, Heidi and Daniel. They have one grandchild.

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