The Oregonian, Wednesday, October 26, 1994By KEN WHEELER (a Linfield grad)
of The Oregonian staff
WHO:
Former Portland Beaver pitcher and Linfield baseball coach
QUOTABLE:
“He was one of God's gifted people.” – Paul Durham, classmate, coaching colleague and friend.
The Portland native starred for his hometown baseball team, then added a national baseball title while coaching at his college alma mater
Roy Helser, a man who pitched with distinction for the Portland Beavers for more than a decade half a century ago, then later made a name for him self as a coach at his alma mater, Linfield College, died at his McMinnville home Tuesday.
Helser, a native of Portland and graduate of Benson High School, was 83. Death was attributed to causes related to age.
Helser, a left-hander, was a top pitcher with the Beavers from 1942 to 1952 and was a member of Portland's 1945 Pacific Coast League pennant winning team.
It was an era when the Beavers played in old Vaughn Street ballpark and rode a wave of popularity that saw them draw nearly half a million fans 1947.
Later, Helser coached at Linfield for 21 years, then served as athletic director at the school for four years before retiring in 1972. The baseball field at the college was named after him several years ago. “He was one of God's gifted people,” said Paul Durham, who was a classmate, coaching colleague and friend through the years. “I can't say enough wonderful things about him. I'm limited.”
Durham, who lives in Hawaii, and Helser were classmates at Linfield from 1932 to 1936. Durham returned to Linfield as football coach in 1949 and Helser joined him the next year.
The two served as co-coaches of the basketball team for four years while Helser also was the baseball coach. Helser then took over the basketball duties alone and continued as the baseball coach and also as an assistant on Durham's football staff.
During his 21 years as baseball coach at Linfield, the Wildcats won 14 Northwest Conference championships, and his 1966 team won the NAIA national championship.
One thing that marked Helser throughout his career was his competitiveness.
In 1956, four years after Helser left the Beavers, the team moved from Vaughn Street into what was then called Multnomah Stadium. A staple of the time among fans was Rollie Truitt's Beaver Scrapbook, and in that 1956 edition there still was a picture of No. 25, Roy Helser, beneath which was written, “One of the fiercest competitors ever to wear ' a Beaver uniform.”
Helser's pro baseball career started at Waterloo, Iowa, in 1937. Later, he pitched for the Salem Senators of the Northwest League in 1940 and 1941, and then signed with the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League in 1942. Late that season, he was acquired by the Beavers.
At first, it was part time. Helser also pitched for a team in the Albina Shipyards League in 1943, before settling in as one of the Beavers’ top pitchers for the next several years. He had three consecutive 20-win seasons, going 20-16, 20-14 and 20-16 from 1944 to 1946. He also made a mark as a semi-pro player and manager in a time when that carried considerable weight, first with the Silverton Red Sox, then with the Drain Black Sox.
“He was one of the greatest competitors that I have ever known,” said Ad Rutschman, former football coach and current athletic director at Linfield who played both baseball and basketball for Helser at the school.
“He was just a great competitor, and that rubbed off on everyone. The quality of his programs was always outstanding.”
Ted Wilson, who succeeded Helser as basketball coach at Linfield and worked with him there for 11 years, said: “When we speak of Roy Helser, the first thing I think of is a great competitor. He was like a brother to me. We had a great time working together. When I think of Roy, I think of honesty, strength, integrity, and competitiveness. It's very difficult to realize he’s not going to be with us any longer.”
Helser is survived by his wife, Dorothy; sons, J. Dennis Helser of Salem, and Roy Helser Jr., of Portland; daughter, Susan Peterson of Tualatin; brother, Morris Helser of Tigard; nine grandchildren and one great grandchild.
A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the First Baptist Church at McMinnville. The family has requested that remembrances be made to the Roy & Dorothy Helser Baseball Scholarship Fund at Linfield.
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The Volga Germans in Portland, Oregon
Roy Helser was a top pitcher with the Beavers from 1942 to 1952 and was a member of Portland's 1945 Pacific Coast League pennant winning team.
Later, Helser coached at Linfield for 21 years, then served as athletic director at the school for four years before retiring in 1972. The baseball field at the college was named after him several years ago. “He was one of God's gifted people,” said Paul Durham, who was a classmate, coaching colleague and friend through the years. “I can't say enough wonderful things about him. I'm limited.”
Roy Helser was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.
http://www.volgagermans.net/portland/roy_helser.html
