October 15, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
Southwestern Oklahoma State University has a new athletic director.
Long time faculty member, coach and alumnus Todd Helton was named the new A.D. by President Randy Beutler last week.
Helton has been serving as interim athletic director since June after former athletic director Todd Thurman announced his resignation. Helton’s appointment is effective immediately.
Helton is the longest tenured member of the SWOSU Athletic Department, having served 24 years as a football coach and seven years in athletic administration as assistant/associate athletic director and compliance coordinator.
Since moving into athletics administration, Helton has been an active member on various NCAA committees. He currently serves on the NCAA Division II Football Regional Advisory Committee for the Central Region in addition to being a member of the NCAA Eligibility Center Advisory Committee.
After graduation, Helton became a football coach at SWOSU and served under three different head coaches—Paul Sharp, Ryan Held and Dan Cocannouer—and provided a constant link between the past and present of the Bulldog football program. He held the position of defensive coordinator from 2005-14 before stepping away from the sideline and into administration.
In addition to his coaching duties, Helton served on various campus committees while he was a faculty member teaching in the Department of Kinesiology from 1993-2013.
A native of Perryton, Texas, Helton holds two degrees from SWOSU, earning his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 1991 and a master’s degree in education in 1993.
In other SWOSU news, “SWOSU Saturday”, an event for prospective students and their family members, is going virtual this year.
Southwestern Oklahoma State University is planning the day for Saturday, November 14.
The annual event is usually held each year on the Weatherford campus, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the popular event is going virtual this year.
The event gives high school juniors and seniors as well as college transfer students an opportunity to preview the SWOSU campus. Todd Boyd, director of the SWOSU Enrollment Management Office, said once participants register, they will receive an agenda for the event. Using the agenda, students will select the zoom sessions they would like to attend. Registration can be done at swosu.edu/swosu-saturday.
