John Romano joined the Times as a sports writer in the Hernando County bureau in 1985. He became the Times beat writer for the University of South Florida in 1987 and took over the University of Florida beat a week after Steve Spurrier's hiring in 1990. He later worked on the Magic/NBA, Bucs/NFL and Devil Rays/baseball beats. He became a columnist in 2002.

Romano was born a stone's throw from the Times office in St. Petersburg and spent 12 years in Pinellas County's school system and a good deal of time playing youth sports. As an athlete, he was very good at standing on the sideline and watching real athletes perform, which, as it turns out, was a precursor to his chosen career. John began writing for the now-defunct Evening Independent as a college freshman and continued until his graduation. He would later work for seven months at the Palm Beach Post before returning to the Tampa Bay area. His goal as a sports writer is simple — to be the companion you would want on the next bar stool. He grew up adoring Pete Rose and later covered his banishment from baseball. He cheered for the Buccaneers as a school boy in Tampa Stadium and later covered their Super Bowl victory in San Diego. He understands what it means to be a fan. And he knows the thirst for stories behind the scenes. Television can do a wonderful job bringing the action home to viewers, but he wants to share the stories beyond the images: the emotion and the motivation; the disappointments and the successes; the heartbreak and the humor.

E-mail: romano@sptimes.com