Hall of Fame
Mr. Dana Helmick is originally from Elkins, West Virginia where he attended and graduated from Elkins High School. He came to West Virginia Tech in 1958 and graduate with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Physical Education, with a minor in Industrial Arts, in 1962.
Mr. Helmick was a member of the football program during all four years of his attendance, where he competed on some of the more successful teams to represent Tech on the field of play. The 1960 Golden Bears finished the season with an overall record of 7-1-0, which was good enough to finish second in the West Virginia intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). That season Tech had a conference record of 4-1-0, with their only loss coming at the hands of conference champion Fairmont State.
An All-Conference performer while at WV Tech, Mr. Helmick was also chosen to be a football co-captain for the Golden Bears. After graduating from Tech, Mr. Helmick was employed as the Director of Physical Education at the YMCA in Columbus, Ohio. In 1969, he represented the YMCA and the AAU at the World’s Weight Lifting Championships in Warsaw, Poland. Following the World Championships, Mr. Helmick became the co-director of the World Weight Lifting Championships in 1970, which was covered nationally by ABC World Wide of Sports.
In 1973, Mr. Helmick became the Executive Director of his hometown YMCA in Elkins. Four years later, he moved to Staunton, Virginia and was employed by Bright of America in Summersville, WV.
Mr. Helmick and his wife of 19 years, Catherine, currently reside in Greenville, Virginia. They have four children, Andrew, Rick, Terri, and Tami, as well as four granddaughters. He is as of his induction, he was employed by the Frontier Culture Musuem in Staunton, Virginia.
