A weekly snapshot of the people and places that make Friday night football a special event.
By SCOTT PURKS, Times Staff Writer
Published November 2, 2005
[Times photo: Scott Purks]
Dave Rezac started taping Robinson High School football games when his son played there and has kept it up as a volunteer, years after Chris graduated.
Many times Dave Rezac has turned on the TV Saturday afternoon and felt, "Like a proud papa."
"I get so excited because those are my boys playing college football," Rezac said. "I mean sometimes I really feel like they're my boys."
It started in 1997 as he filmed his son's first football practice at Robinson High.
"I was there, you know, just because I was a proud dad filming my son on the varsity football team," he said. "Then all of the sudden the tape the coaches were using for practice broke and (assistant coach Tommy Montero) yelled out, "Hey, Mr. Rezac has a recorder!' "
And then and there Rezac became Robinson's official videographer.
After his son, Chris Rezac, graduated in 2001, Rezac took on even more duties, including: Equipment manager, overseeing insurance and physical paperwork and the water boys.
More than anything, though, he was in charge of taping, the thing he feels might help the most.
"When I see our boys playing in college I hope I had at least a little something to do with it," said Rezac, a retired carpenter who works for the Knights strictly as a volunteer. "I hope my taping, which we use later to make highlight tapes for recruiters, helps to get scholarships.
"I know I do just a little bit in the grand scheme, but I think my little bit helps. It takes a whole team to make things work and I feel I'm part of the team."
And more. He said former coach Bob Hodgens was, "Like a father to me. My father died in 1971 when I was 15, and you know, Bud was just that kind of person to me. That close."
This year Rezac had to cut back on his duties as his wife of 25 years, Beverly, recovered from a bout with breast cancer, which is in remission. Beverly, however, wouldn't let her husband stop working for Robinson.
"My wife told me, "There's no way you can stop because it's in your blood now,' " Rezac said. "So between helping her get to the hospital and everything she needed I made it a priority to keep up my taping."
Mark it down: Since the day he started in 1997, Rezac hasn't missed a Friday night behind the camera.
