Career
His best finish was sixth place in the men"s 20 km walk at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. He came in third in the 20 km event at the 1963 Pan American Games. Ron Zinn was born in Peoria, Illinois.
He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1962 and served in the Vietnam War.
Zinn was killed in a firefight near Saigon (now Ho Chi Minister City) while serving in the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the United States Army. He held the rank of Captain at the time of his death.