Burger Palace & LaserDiscs

Rod Heaton was one of the fiercest football players in Rio Hondo Prep history. His intimidating presence and intense athleticism put him amongst the all time greats to ever wear the crest on their helmet. Back when I was in 4th grade, Mr Heaton was in his 20s and served as an assistant coach of mine that had a tremendous impact on me and my Gator teammates. He would pick us up for Church and take us on all kinds of fun unique outings. I used to love hearing stories from his high school playing days as we rode around in his pickup truck listening to the latest movie soundtrack music. Mr Heaton was a joy to be around, and I smile often when I think back to some of the best times with him when I was a kid. I really wish I could have seen him play on the field. Rod's team made it the 1987 Title Game in his senior year. Unfortunately, he and his legendary teammates such as Dave Carson and Randy Johnson finished their incredible careers as a Runner-Up.