Supporter – Football/Media
Lonny Alvin Demaree began life on a farm in Mayo, Mercer Co., KY, in 1941. When he was a young boy, Lonny’s family moved to the big city of Lexington, bringing farm equipment and chickens. The grade-school boy attended Constitution Elementary and was introduced to football by playing pick-up games in the neighborhood. Football became his first love of all sports. He completed 7th-12th grades at the original Douglass High School at 17 years of age. However, he never played ball in school because of the demands of farm life.
Upon his high school completion, Lonny was granted permission for early entry to the U.S. Army. The opportunity was presented, and he joined his corps’ team and gained his certification to become a lab technician while serving six years in Germany. Soon after returning stateside, Lonny was employed by IBM, which allowed him to later obtain an associate’s degree in business at Fugazzi College. However, his love of sports never wavered.
Lonny was an active sports enthusiast, playing on various types of sports teams. He also coached and officiated before turning to advocacy and mentoring of athletes. Lonny went on to enjoy an impactful career in sports journalism. His first writing position was with the “Cats’ Pause” newsletter under the pseudonym “UK Fan in Seat #??” (not a valid seat in the stadium), concealing his identity from disagreeable fans and his career employers. He was erring on the side of caution to have no disruptions/policy violations established by IBM Corporation. The column was a bit dicey at times, with observations and opinion statements that left some unable to digest. Thus, anonymity was needed until he could retire in 1992. That was the beginning of his second career, a self-proclaimed sports journalist.
The self-taught wordsmith began writing for the “Community Voice” newspaper as a sportswriter and restaurant/movie critic. At that point, offers came to write articles locally/nationally and speak on sports shows sharing his insights. Lonny’s knowledge of the games and history often was astounding to many, earning him the affectionate nickname, “The Mayor of UK Football.” He often could be found at any high school game. Also, regardless of his team’s record, he was a loyal fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Dodgers, who later moved to Los Angeles, and Cleveland Browns. During UK football seasons, Lonny’s family learned early on that requesting to-do tasks, excessive amounts of extracurricular activities, etc., during spring practice and football season was a ‘No-No’.
Amidst all things sports, Lonny also attended and later joined Jimtown Baptist Church in the mid 1970’s, where his wife and daughter were members. He and wife, Maggie, married in 1967 and had one daughter to blend a family with a son born previously. Lonny, who was a strong tenor and lead vocalist, loved a wide range of music. He sang with the church choir, Jimtown Male Chorus, The Men in Christ, various community gospel workshops, and other special events. He served as the church treasurer and as a trustee. Lonny was also very community conscious, serving as a precinct election sheriff for many years and running for a Lexington City Council District seat in 2000. Lonny was a member of the High Street YMCA exercise group for over 40 years and ran in the Bluegrass 10K for several years.
Lonny died at the age of 83 on October 16, 2024.
