Sherman Heaney was born in San Francisco on August 29, 1927, to Thomas and Mary Heaney. Through his mother, Mary Pires, he was a third generation Californian. He excelled as a three-sport star at Balboa High School. He earned a basketball scholarship to the University of San Francisco. He played his freshman year until he enlisted in the Army. In the service, he spent four years of active duty in Japan. Following his time in the military, he re-enrolled at USF and earned his degree in business.
Heaney had a sales management career in the paper industry, beginning with Crown Zellerbach Paper and lasting over 45 years working with many paper companies.
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