“Get your foot in the door and you expand,” Gant mentioned.
DALLAS — After practically 49 years in news, one in every of WFAA’s most prolific sports photojournalists and sports editors is placing away his digicam for the final time.
Assistant Sports Director Jose Gant, 66, is formally retiring after working 43 years at WFAA and 6 years at his hometown station, KTBS-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana.
He has touched the hearts of so many throughout the sports world and the WFAA newsroom along with his infectious smile, his positivity and his humbleness. He’s a good friend to any and everybody. He will likely be really missed.
So, how did the self-described “Black kid from Shreveport, Louisiana” land at one of many high legacy stations within the United States, journey abroad and meet and construct relationships with numerous {of professional} athletes and coaches?
Gant says that’s straightforward: He simply adopted God’s path.
Humble beginnings
Gant says he by no means wished to work in tv, not to mention turn out to be a photojournalist.
In August 1974, he was a junior at C.E. Byrd High School in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, when he was approached by his highschool counselor about signing up for a career-oriented course. He mentioned the enchantment: he solely needed to attend college for 3 hours after which go to a job from 1 p.m. to five p.m.
So, the counselor gave him a listing of potential alternatives, together with KTBS-TV. The native tv station was simply 12 blocks away from his dwelling and he knew he may catch the bus. So, that’s what Gant selected.
“I got out of school, went and ate lunch for 20 cents and waited for the bus right in front of the high school, went downtown and transferred…” Gant mentioned. “It dropped me off right at the front of the TV station.”
For a 12 months, he discovered tips on how to run the film schedules, logs and bulletins. He additionally labored within the copy and printing room.
Then, computer systems had been put in! And as thrilling as that was, Gant mentioned he was not wanted to manually function the equipment used to run the schedules and logs. So, with 5 months left in his senior 12 months, the station moved him to manufacturing to assist function the studio cameras for the newscasts.
But nonetheless, Gant mentioned he wasn’t offered on working in tv.
During his senior 12 months, he and his girlfriend had been anticipating their first baby collectively and determined to get married on April 26, 1975. Three weeks later, he and his spouse graduated highschool collectively.
Gant mentioned he wished a extra secure job, one thing that may assure an earnings. So, he and his brother determined to enlist within the Marines. But he by no means heard again from them.
“I took the test, and they never called me,” mentioned Gant.
As luck would have it — and, when you ask Gant, additionally by God’s grace — KTBS wanted somebody to work in manufacturing full-time. So, he was newly married and had secured a full-time place.
“God had blessed me to go into a field he had put me in, like, 1973,” he mentioned.
Then, the sports division at KTBS-TV wanted extra assist, particularly after their photographer was fired. He shot basketball and soccer video games with two totally different cameras – one for B-roll and one for audio – throughout Louisiana.
In the primary 12 months of that place, Gant mentioned he and his crew began driving to Texas Stadium to shoot Dallas Cowboys video games.
The legacy begins
Gant shot his first Super Bowl sport in January 1978 when the Cowboys took on the Denver Broncos.
Guess who gained – the Cowboys!
Then, the next 12 months, he received to expertise one other Super Bowl.
While capturing these video games, he met photojournalists from a number of totally different stations, together with WFAA.
WFAA’s chief photographer, David Goldberg, wanted some additional coaching earlier than securing an assistant director place, so he took a job at Gant’s station in Shreveport. After a 12 months, when Goldberg determined to go away and head again to WFAA, he invited Gant, Arnold Payne (recognized to all as “AP,” and one other WFAA legend in his personal proper) and two different staff to go together with him in 1980.
But Gant’s first job at WFAA wasn’t in sports. He grew to become a news editor, which he says nonetheless holds a particular place in his coronary heart. Today, he takes the time each day to greet everybody within the edit bay.
“Never forget where you came from,” Gant mentioned. “I came from that pod with Ray, Alan, all of them guys there… That was me back in November of 1980.”
Gant mentioned, in 1980, whoever completed modifying first set to work on sports highlights: Rangers, Mavs, SMU basketball video games, and many others.
Since he had the expertise, Gant was requested to edit for sports over the course of two years.
In 1982, Bill Macatee, who was the sports director at WFAA (and is at the moment the sportscaster for CBS Sports and the Tennis Channel), requested Gant if he wished to work full-time in sports as an editor.
By 1986, Gant was modifying for sports, going to Cowboys video games and Cowboys camp in Thousands Oaks, California with one other title you would possibly know – Dale Hansen.
Eventually, he was met with one other once-in-a-lifetime expertise: capturing the first-ever American Bowl in London at Wembley Stadium when the Cowboys confronted the Super Bowl champions, the Chicago Bears in 1986.
“God had blessed me,” Gant mentioned. “So, my first Cowboys Charter ride was to London, England.”
And he has ridden on Cowboys charters ever since.
Gant mentioned following his England journey, he was on a gentle schedule of modifying via the week and capturing Cowboys video games on Sundays.
“Get your foot in the door and you expand,” Gant mentioned. “I went from running a 3 ft. printing machine to studio camera to audio on the 10 o’clock news, film cart, audio cart, sitting in the audio booth…”
And it’s historical past after that, Gant says.
His favourite moments
Some clear highlights in Gant’s profession, when you ask him? The journey to London in ’86 when the Cowboys took on the Bears, and the journey to London in ’92 underneath head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Gant additionally went to Toronto with the Cowboys once they performed the Buffalo Bills.
Then, he was off to Monterrey, Mexico.
But it’s not solely the Cowboys video games Gant remembers as thrilling. He traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the Texas Rangers for the 2001 season opener towards the Toronto Blue Jays.
He additionally received to attend two World Series with the Rangers – though they misplaced each.
But Gant’s all-time favourite second? It’s surprisingly not with the Cowboys. He says it was when the Dallas Stars gained the Stanley Cup in Buffalo. He and the WFAA crew labored all through the entire night time and into the early morning hours with some enjoyable sprinkled in. They took a mini street journey to Niagara Falls and shot surroundings.
When he thinks again to the whole lot he’s skilled over these years, Gant is grateful for the life he is been blessed to steer.
“A little Black kid from Shreveport, Louisiana is in London, England,” he mentioned. “I never expected when I decided to take this in high school that I’d be in London, England, 11 years later.”
What he needs his legacy to be
Gant mentioned he didn’t feed into the stereotype of his race or residing in a single-parent dwelling.
“I was one of the ones who made it out of a bad neighborhood,” he mentioned. “I’m a living witness… God had his hand on me. I just had to follow the path that God gave me. I just humbled myself, like I do now, and I thank God for everything that I have and everything that I get.”
He tries to share his knowledge and information he’s gained over the previous 49 years in TV to the youthful era, to encourage them to imagine in one thing larger than themselves.
He additionally makes it a degree to speak to everybody in no matter constructing he results in, and at no matter job he takes.
“We have to love everyone,” Gant mentioned. “You show people love, they show you love back. I want my legacy to be ‘Jose came to me and prayed for me.’”
And after 5 Super Bowls, two Stanley Cups, two World Series and two NBA finals and numerous different Texas-OU Red River rivalry video games, the one factor he says he’ll miss most about working in journalism is the individuals.
(*49*) he mentioned.
It’s evident when you’ve ever seen Gant in motion at any sporting occasion; you’ll discover him chatting with all the employees there, together with upkeep groups, cooks and servers.
The sport is nice, he mentioned. But praying with individuals and speaking with individuals on the sport is what makes him joyful.
He treats everybody like household.
And now that he’s retired, with household is the place you’ll discover him. Gant plans to make use of his retirement spending much-needed time along with his spouse and serving to others in his neighborhood.
He laughed when declaring that he is already been requested to come back again to assist with a number of sporting occasions.
He laughed, too, when Mike McCarthy even gave him a shoutout on the final Cowboys press convention he shot for WFAA.
“I was shy and embarrassed,” Gant mentioned. “I don’t like fanfare.”
Gant is pleased with the place he’s been, and of the place he’s being led.
We’re fairly pleased with him, too. Jose: You’re due for a break — even when we all know that is not your fashion. We know whomever you come throughout will likely be lighter due to your prayers, your knowledge and your love.
Congratulations on an incredible legacy!
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