Ron Heller (tight end)

Ronald Jeffrey "Ron" Heller (born September 18, 1963) is a former professional football player, a tight end in the National Football League. He played for five seasons (1987-92) for the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, and Seattle Seahawks. He was a member of the 1988 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIII, and scored five touchdowns during his pro career.

He left football in 1993 and spent two years at Smith Barney as a financial consultant. In 1995 he co-founded Peritus Asset Management where he is currently CEO and Senior Portfolio Advisor.

Born in Grass Valley, California, he moved with his family to Clark Fork in north Idaho when he was 12, and graduated from Clark Fork High School in 1981, in a senior class of 18. A three-sport high school standout in football, basketball, and track, Heller accepted a football scholarship to Oregon State University. He played for the Beavers from 1981–85, primarily as a linebacker. Not selected in the 1986 NFL Draft, he was cut from his first training camp with the Dallas Cowboys.