aaron was our golden boy. he had the family traits, his father and uncle were standout athletes. >> his older brother, dj, was a sports hero, too. bob montgomery covers high school sports for "the bristol press." >> aaron did track, in audition to football, he also did basketball. he was described in any sport he played as a man playing with children. >> he was just kind of goofy and fun. >> kind of had a baby face and, you know, all the teachers loved him. >> brad mcmillan and andrew rigali played basketball with aaron beginning in middle school. >> he was twice the size of me. we were the same height, but he was more athletic obviously. he practiced all the time. >> practiced because his father, dennis, pushed him constantly. >> his father was pretty strict. i mean, he told me his father used to make him shoot 500 shots before he went to play with friends. his dad clearly kept him anchored.