Rod Heckman has been a sports writer at the Times News since September 1988. He enjoys keeping area statistics, mostly football and boys basketball.

Rod's passion for sports history stems from being in charge of the On This Date column that is published daily in the sports section. Through that column, Rod has expanded his knowledge of many past athletes that grew up in the area.

Rod's favorite sports are baseball and hockey, and his favorite teams are the Philadelphia Phillies and Philadelphia Flyers.

He and his wife, Robin, have been married for 27 years, and the couple has two children, Evy and Brock.