Lonnie White passed away on March 29 after suffering for nearly two decades from hidradenitis suppurativa, a rare, chronic skin disease. While the severe condition diminished his energy in recent years, it could not erase the enormous, magnetic spirit he carried in every endeavor throughout his life—from USC, where he was a record setting wide-receiver for the Trojans, to the L.A. Times newsroom, where he worked as a critically-acclaimed sportswriter from 1987 to 2008.
Lonnie was born October 7, 1964 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in South Belmar, New Jersey. A star quarterback at Asbury Park High School, he was also a member of the school’s state champion track team. At USC, he majored in broadcast journalism and wrote for the Daily Trojan. He set records for kickoff returns and kick return yardage in 1986 that would last until 2010.
At the Times, he covered high school and college football, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings, and was a general-assignment reporter. His work was recognized several times in the Associated Press Sports Editor’s annual writing contest, and he taught the class Sports Commentary at his alma-mater. He authored the book UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports in 2004.
In a piece for USC’s Trojan Family Magazine, he wrote about the birth of his passion for these schools, which would play such a role in his future. “I got my first glimpse of the rivalry over the Thanksgiving holiday in 1972,” writes Lonnie. “I was 8, and I became mesmerized while watching television in my New Jersey home. USC was playing UCLA in a football game at the Memorial Coliseum. Outside my house, it was dark, rainy and cold, a miserable, drab East Coast night. But on television, the sun shone brightly before the early-evening game in L.A., fans in vibrant colors filled the stadium. Cardinal and gold on one side. Blue and gold on the other. I felt as though I were sitting inside the Coliseum.”
Times sports editor Mike James, who worked with Lonnie throughout his career, said, "Lonnie was one of the truly good guys in our business, respected and liked by almost everyone who knew him professionally and personally."
In 2010, Lonnie appeared on Discovery Health Channel's Mystery Diagnosis in an episode that documented his struggle with hidradenitis suppurativa. He is survived by his adoring family, including sisters Terri and Zeline, brother Timmy, his wife Kimberly, from whom he was separated, and a host of nieces and nephews.
Lonnie was born October 7, 1964 in Washington, D.C., and grew up in South Belmar, New Jersey. A star quarterback at Asbury Park High School, he was also a member of the school’s state champion track team. At USC, he majored in broadcast journalism and wrote for the Daily Trojan. He set records for kickoff returns and kick return yardage in 1986 that would last until 2010.
At the Times, he covered high school and college football, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Kings, and was a general-assignment reporter. His work was recognized several times in the Associated Press Sports Editor’s annual writing contest, and he taught the class Sports Commentary at his alma-mater. He authored the book UCLA vs. USC: 75 Years of the Greatest Rivalry in Sports in 2004.
In a piece for USC’s Trojan Family Magazine, he wrote about the birth of his passion for these schools, which would play such a role in his future. “I got my first glimpse of the rivalry over the Thanksgiving holiday in 1972,” writes Lonnie. “I was 8, and I became mesmerized while watching television in my New Jersey home. USC was playing UCLA in a football game at the Memorial Coliseum. Outside my house, it was dark, rainy and cold, a miserable, drab East Coast night. But on television, the sun shone brightly before the early-evening game in L.A., fans in vibrant colors filled the stadium. Cardinal and gold on one side. Blue and gold on the other. I felt as though I were sitting inside the Coliseum.”
Times sports editor Mike James, who worked with Lonnie throughout his career, said, "Lonnie was one of the truly good guys in our business, respected and liked by almost everyone who knew him professionally and personally."
In 2010, Lonnie appeared on Discovery Health Channel's Mystery Diagnosis in an episode that documented his struggle with hidradenitis suppurativa. He is survived by his adoring family, including sisters Terri and Zeline, brother Timmy, his wife Kimberly, from whom he was separated, and a host of nieces and nephews.
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