John DeShazier enters his 11th season with the Pelicans radio broadcast team. DeShazier will serve as the color analyst on Pelicans radio broadcasts. In addition to his Pelicans duties, DeShazier is the primary writer for NewOrleansSaints.com.

Prior to joining the Pelicans, DeShazier was a general sports columnist and sports writer for The Times-Picayune newspaper in New Orleans, from 1992-2012. During those 20 years he covered and opined on local and state teams and also covered and opined on events including the NBA Finals, the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, the NCAA Final Four, the BCS National Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl.

Four times, he was honored by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association as having written the top high school or pro sports column in the state and once, by the Louisiana/Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors for having written the top sports column.

A native of Macon, Ga., DeShazier graduated from Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Ga., in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism.

He has been a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., since 1985, and is active in the New Orleans graduate chapter, Theta Beta Sigma.