Jim Ranta

Jim Ranta has been an aquatics coaching institution at Dos Pueblos High School since 1985 when he took the helm of both the boys’ and girls’ programs. Ranta, a math teacher, is proud to see his former athletes excel as athletes, coaches and parents – he taught or coached all three current Athletic Directors at the local high schools.

Ranta has been instrumental in advancing aquatics at Dos Pueblos and in the community. He guided the first girls’ water polo team in 1994 and is a member of the CIF Water Polo Advisory Committee, Santa Barbara Water Polo Foundation Board, Central Coast Water Polo Officials Board (past president) and the Dos Pueblos Pool Committee Board. Since passing the coaching baton in 2002, Ranta has remained active on boards and with Dos Pueblos aquatics and athletics.
Before taking over the aquatics program at Dos Pueblos, Ranta had stints with the UCSB frosh swim team (1969), Santa Barbara High School swim and first-ever water polo teams (1970 and 1984).

As an athlete, Ranta was a standout swimmer for Riverside City College where he earned Junior College All-American Swim Team honors in 1965 and 1966; and UCSB where he was also named as an All-American swimmer in 1967 and 1968 and helped UCSB to its first-every NCAA Division II Swim Team Championship in 1967. Ranta played in the first NCAA Water Polo Championship Tournament with the Gauchos in 1968.

Named the Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Coach of the Year in 1991, Ranta is also a member of the UCSB Hall of Fame.

Ranta lives in Goleta and is married to Nancy and has two children, Jeff and Heather.

Download this page from the 2010 Hall of Fame Banquet Program