Growing up in San Antonio, John Lopez knew at a very young age that he was going to have a life in sports. When he was six or seven years old, his first inclination was to be on the field or court but it didn’t work out that way.
“Back then, I wanted to be Bob Lilly or George Gervin,” said Lopez. “I didn’t quite have Bob Lilly’s size or George Gervin’s finger roll.”
But Lopez knew his sports and that led to his father wanting to prove that to everyone.
“I was kind of like a party favor around the family get-togethers,” said Lopez. “My dad would cart me in front of his friends and would ask me who is number 75 for the Dallas Cowboys and I would say Jethro Pugh. I guess I was just born with it. I just have this wild passion for all things sports.”
And all these years later, Lopez still has that passion for sports as the co-host of In the Loop on Sports Radio 610 in Houston. Lopez broke into the business as a writer and enjoyed a story career as a columnist for the Houston Chronicle from 1990 to 2007.
While he was earning a great living and was enjoying his dream job immensely, there was an extensive amount of travel involved – something to the tune of 100 to 130 days a year. That was tough for him along with his wife and three kids at home. So, when there was an opportunity for a career change from writing to radio, there was a decision to make.
“There was a lot of trepidation,” said Lopez. My wife and I had talked about it for two or three months. I walked away from a six-figure job. I think they (the Houston Chronicle) were quite surprised. I said I think I want to go in a different direction. It worked out great. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Lopez has worked with a number of co-hosts over the years including Marc Vandermeer, the radio voice of the Houston Texans, and Nick Wright, now with Fox Sports. Today, he is paired with Landry Locker and it’s a combination that has worked out well. The reality is that Lopez has flourished with whoever he worked with because of his adaptability.
“Everybody I’ve worked with has been a completely different personality and a completely different style,” said Lopez. “I always kind of defer to what their style is. I try to conform to that and play along.”
And that has continued with Locker.
“Landry is very much in tune with new audio and adding a layer to a story and how we localize this to what we’re covering in our teams and our people,” said Lopez. “That works because now they call me the OG and I can bounce that off of my experiences. The best thing that we have going is we’re two different generations so there’s a really good balance.”
A big contributor to the show has been John McClain, the great football columnist for the Houston Chronicle who retired in 2022. When Lopez moved to Houston to work for the Chronicle in 1990, McClain was the first person to greet him and make him feel at home.
“John is one of my best friends in the industry,” said Lopez. “He told me ‘whatever you need’ and we’ve been working side-by-side in one capacity or another ever since.”
In that time span, Lopez has covered 34 NFL training camps including 12 with the Houston Oilers and all 22 with the Houston Texans.
“It never gets old,” said Lopez.
But he does miss the Houston Oilers very much and he’s not happy that the Tennessee Titans are going to wear Houston Oilers throwback uniforms this coming season. Owner Bud Adams decided to relocate the team from Houston to Tennessee following the 1996 season. For 1997 and 1998, the team was called the Tennessee Oilers and then came the name change to the Titans.
Adams passed away in 2013 and now his daughter is the owner.
“I think it’s a travesty what Amy Adams Strunk is doing with the Oilers’ uniforms when all the history is here and all the memories are here. She is her father’s daughter. Her father was hated in this city for what he did. I think she’s got a lot of people fooled and she’s turning the knife at the Texans. It ticks me off because that’s Houston’s team.”
And that brings us to the one box left unchecked in Lopez’s career.
He wants to the Vince Lombardi Trophy to call Houston home.
“The one thing that I do want to do before I go ahead and tip my cap to everybody is I do want to see a Super Bowl championship in my city,” said Lopez. “I became an Oilers fan when I was in high school. I’ve never covered a Super Bowl with my team. I want my city to be able to experience a Super Bowl.”
John Lopez has enjoyed a storied career in sports on both the print and electronic sides. Covering a championship for his hometown team would certainly be a storybook ending to a career that he was destined for as a child.
Peter Schwartz writes weekly sports radio features for Barrett Media. He has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades, and has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. Peter has also served as play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at DragonsRadio@aol.com.
