“Everybody’s an athlete,” says John Zant. “We have bodies that are made to move.”
No one’s better equipped to make that statement than John, who’s celebrating his 50th year as a sportswriter in 2018. He was hired fresh out of college to work for the Santa Barbara News-Press in 1968 and has been writing for the Independent since 2007. He’s covered six Olympics and won numerous accolades. He’s also one of the most enjoyable people to sit down with for a cocktail, a wonderful raconteur who’s palpably in love with Santa Barbara.
John grew up in the foothills of La Cañada. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life,” he says, “but journalism might have been there all along.” He delivered the L.A. Herald Express as a young kid. “I had seven miles to ride to deliver 50 papers,” he recalls. “That got me in great shape.” He worked for his St. Francis High School’s yearbook and also played football and track. In his senior year, the football team won the 1963 Southern CA 3AAA Division Football championship.