Heller began his career writing for
The Washington Daily News while still in high school. He also served stints with the
Richmond Times-Dispatch, the
Alexandria Gazette and
The Washington Star, with whom he remained until 1981. He then joined
The Miami Herald before settling with
The Washington Times in 1986. He remained with them until 2009, when the paper folded its sports section. After they brought the sports section back in 2011, he contributed bi-weekly columns. He also contributed to TheNationalPastimeMuseum.com after his retirement. He is credited with 'discovering' and popularizing
The Sports Junkies.
Bilney v. Evening Star In 1977, Heller – then writing for the
Washington Star – published the names of four
University of Maryland basketball team players who had poor academic records, alleging they were on academic probation. Six members of the team sued Heller, the Star and the school's newspaper for invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and other charges. They demanded $76 million. The
Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruled in favor of Heller and the
Star, holding that the publication was protected under principles of press freedom. ==Personal life==