Rocky Pamplin

Rushton "Rocky" Pamplin (born August 3, 1949) is a former college football player and model who was employed as a bodyguard for the American rock band the Beach Boys in the late 1970s.

Rocky Pamplin
Born
Rushton Pamplin

(1949-08-03) August 3, 1949
Youngstown, Ohio
Alma mater
OccupationFootball player, model, bodyguard of Brian Wilson

Early life

Pamplin was born in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1960s, he attended Newark High School, in Newark, California.[1]

Football career

He attended the University of Oregon and the University of Hawaii, where he played college football as a running back. He was drafted in 1971 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, chosen 5th in the 10th round (239th overall),[2] but did not play in an NFL game, being cut in preseason.

Despite reports to the contrary,[3] there is no evidence that Pamplin later played for the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, as his name appears nowhere on their rosters for the relevant period.

The Beach Boys

Pamplin was – along with Stan Love, a former NBA player and younger brother to Beach Boy Mike Love – hired as an extrajudicial warden for Beach Boy Brian Wilson, also the Loves' cousin. Stan would later claim that he and Pamplin were asked "to prevent [Brian's brother and the band's drummer Dennis Wilson] from providing cocaine and other dangerous drugs to Brian Wilson."

In Late 1977, Stan and Pamplin followed Dennis to his house in Los Angeles. They observed Dennis consuming cocaine with several other people and kicked down the door posing as police officers. Stan and Pamplin then chased Dennis and engaged, in Stan's words, "one of the most brutal beatings ever."[4] Dennis pressed charges, and bit later, both Stan and Pamplin agreed to a mutual restraining order [5] in a Santa Monica Supreme Court. Love was fined $750 and Pamplin was fined $250 for the beating. Both were put on six months probation.[6]

Pamplin joined the band American Spring for one year in 1977. The band was fronted by Marilyn Wilson, with whom Pamplin was having an affair,[7] and consisted of her sister Diane Rovell on vocals and Brian Wilson in a writing/producing role. Pamplin sang lead vocals on the unreleased track "California Feelin'", a song written by Brian Wilson and Steve Kalinich. He also co-wrote the song "It's Like Heaven" with Wilson and Diane Rovell for American Spring, which would later appear on the Shaun Cassidy album Under Wraps.[8]

References
  1. 1965 Newark High School Scroll
  2. "Rocky Pamplin 1971 NFL Draft Videos - ESPN". ESPN.com.
  3. Gaines, Steven S. Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys Da Capo Press, 1995. Page 292.
  4. "Clipped From Daily News". Daily News. 1986-10-21. p. 353. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  5. "Facts/History/Trivia/Music - Year In Review Video Timeline - 1955 Through 2013" (PDF). www.mrpopculture.com.
  6. "The Spokesman-Review - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
  7. Gaines, Steven S. Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys Da Capo Press, 1995
  8. "Brian's Hidden Beauties LXIII: It's Like Heaven « Cabin Essence Blog". surfermoon.com.
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