Helmut Werner

Childhood years

Born in Meschewaja, Ukraine on May 13, 1938, Helmut faced a dangerous and traumatic start in life.

He didn’t know his father, Rudolf, since the Russians put him in a gulag, or labor camp, and later deported him by rail car to Almaty, Kazakhstan in 1941. Helmut & his mother, Eugenie, never saw him again.

He was his parents’ youngest and only surviving child due to the ‘Holodomor,’ which was a forced starvation by Russian communists of Ukrainians & ethnic minorities - in their case as Germans.

Refugees during World War II, Helmut, his mother, and one of her sisters, left Ukraine on foot and by horse and wagon in 1944. After traveling through Poland, they arrived in Dresden, Germany in February 1945, which was when the city was firebombed by Allied forces. They were on the last train out of Dresden, and Helmut recalled seeing the city burn as the train sped away.

Luckily, they ended up in the British zone of Germany, at Niedeck near Goettingen. After living there for several years, Helmut’s mother decided they would immigrate to the United States as part of a program through the Lutheran Church.

In 1952, they arrived at Ellis Island on the U.S.N.S. General Harry Taylor. Knowing no English but hoping to live the American dream, they settled in Lynchburg, Virginia on a farm owned by the Sieverdes family. Helmut became a naturalized American citizen in 1960.

His playing days

As many German children did, Helmut played soccer growing up. After finishing high school, he attended and played soccer at Lynchburg College for four years, graduating in 1961. A physical education major, he was named to Who's Who Among American Colleges and Universities. He was president of the student body and of the Honor Court.

During his collegiate soccer career, Helmut was named All-State and Regional All-American from 1957-60 and All-American in 1960 (the first in Virginia), and he served as team captain. He led the nation in goals and assists in 1959.

That Lynchburg team won every title there was – except the national title. At the time, there were no divisions; all colleges and universities were in one bracket. Helmut shared that when they had games against some of the ACC universities, the college would cancel afternoon classes, and they had up to 1500 fans at some night games.

He was in the first class to be inducted into the Lynchburg College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978.

He played in the National Soccer League in Washington, D.C., and for the Schweigert Soccer Club in the NSL.

Accomplished coaching career

After teaching and coaching high school for a year in Amelia County, Coach Werner went to work at Randolph-Macon College in 1962, where he shared his first office with Ted Keller, Hugh Stevens, and Paul Webb, the first of many RMC colleagues who became close friends. He served as RMC Men's Soccer Head Coach for 43 seasons. From 1962 through 2004, he compiled a record of 417-242-66 (62.1%). When he retired, Coach Werner ranked in the Top 20 in the nation among all men's soccer coaches and was among the Top 10 in NCAA Division III.

During his 43 seasons, Coach Werner's teams had 34 winning campaigns, including 10 consecutive years 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. RMC participated in the NCAA Tournament in 1975 and 1976, and the program was consistently ranked in the South Region during Coach Werner's tenure. He mentored numerous All-Conference, All-State, All-Region, and All-American players.

Because of the success of the Yellow Jackets, Coach 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.

Besides his role as soccer coach, Coach Werner also served RMC 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. Coach Werner was the tennis coach from 1962 to 1987 as well as 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 from 1964 to 1968. He was assistant football coach in 1969 when the Yellow Jackets were NCAA Eastern Champions in the Knute Rockne Bowl.

In addition to his coaching duties, Coach Werner taught physical education classes and was the Athletic Department Chair at RMC from 1987 to 1997. Coach Werner served as RMC Director of Athletics from 1996 to 1997.

Coach Werner was inducted into the RMC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

Former players and a number of friends, who knew him as Mutt, have shared the impact Coach Werner had on them on and off the field. He shaped how they viewed soccer, approached coaching, and instilled a desire to give back and support the game. He knew his players well at an individual level, built their confidence, and supported them during life’s setbacks.

Elevating & evolving the game of soccer in the U.S.

Coach Werner had a huge impact on youth soccer. He operated well-attended soccer camps for more than 30 years, which drew youth players from up and down the East Coast. In 2002, Coach Werner was inducted into the Virginia-D.C. Soccer Hall of Fame (part of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association) for his playing days and involvement in teaching soccer to young people. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 for his impact on soccer in the Commonwealth, including playing and coaching.

He was a pioneer in developing American coaches to teach young people to play soccer. Through countless coaching clinics, he trained laymen to become effective soccer coaches – coaches who were equipped to teach children soccer and develop a love for the game. He served on the Ashland Youth Soccer Association Board of Directors and national college soccer rankings committees.

Coach Werner was thrilled at how the game evolved over the last 60 years in the U.S., with an ever-growing wave of skilled players and a national team competing in the World Cup with the best teams in the world.

Family

Helmut was devoted to his mother, who lived with him and his family until she died in 1992.

He married Ruth Mae Hemp in August 1966, and they were married for 53 years until Ruth passed away from cancer in 2020. She was a force to be reckoned with in her own right, having graduated college and pursued a professional career when that was less common for women of her generation. Helmut benefited from and appreciated the unwavering support she brought to his career.

In addition to his parents and Ruth, Helmut was preceded in death by his son-in-law, John L. Stansbury IV. He is survived by his and Ruth’s three children, Karen Werner, Heidi Stansbury and Dan Werner; and three grandsons Linus, Zane and Ridge Stansbury. He is also survived by his cousin in Germany, Edgar Seitz, Edgar’s wife, Gabi, and their family.

Celebrating Coach Werner’s life

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 2:00 pm at Randolph - Macon College, Birdsong Hall. We are working on a livestream option for those who may not be able to attend in person but would like to participate virtually - stay tuned for details.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to the Randolph - Macon College Helmut Werner Men’s Soccer Endowment, or the youth soccer league of your choice.

Thank you for sharing your memories and photos, and helping us celebrate Coach’s life.