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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Kentucky Sports Radio Plans Tribute To Jared Lorenzen At 10 a.m. Thursday

 Jared Lorenzen
Ed Reinke
/
AP
Lorenzen, pictured here in 2002, played for the University of Kentucky and the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.

A tribute to late Highlands High School University of Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen will be streamed live at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 11, from the high school.

Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio will host the two-hour memorial for Lorenzen, a 1999 Highlands graduate who played for the UK  and the 2008 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. He died July 3 from kidney and heart problems, and an infection. He was 38.

Jones and co-hosts Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin will interview friends and former teammates of Lorenzen at the school's café balcony overlooking the football field. It is open to the public.

Scheduled to attend are Derek Smith, who played tight end with Lorenzen for the Bluebirds and Wildcats; their Highlands coach, Dale Mueller, who led the Bluebirds to the 1998 state championship; and UK teammate Derek Abney. Additional guests are expected, says Mark Collier, spokesman for the event.

Kentucky Sports Radio was developed from Jones' sports blog, an independent fan site dedicated to UK basketball, football and recruiting news.

Video will be streamed on the Fort Thomas Independent Schools Facebook page. Audio will be streamed on Lexington's WLAP.iheart.com,  or on the iHeart Radio app (search WLAP).

"We wanted to do something to honor our good friend, Jared, and there was no better place to do a tribute show for him than at his alma mater, Highlands, in Fort Thomas," Lemond said in a media release.

"We're happy to host Kentucky Sports Radio at Highlands for their Jared Lorenzen tribute show," said Dr. Karen Cheser, Superintendent of Fort Thomas Independent Schools, in the release. "It's going to be a great opportunity to hear from friends all across the state and nation about what Jared meant to everyone. For our school and community, that’s especially important. He left an indelible mark in the fabric of our school system."

Kevin Nieporte, Highlands athletic director, said he was happy the program would be open to the public. "It's clear the positive impact he’s had on everyone. We’ll always remember Jared and we’ll always remember KSR for allowing the opportunity to remember the good times we all shared with him," he said in the release.

For those wanting to attend, doors will open at 9:30 a.m. at the high school, 2400 Memorial Parkway, Fort Thomas. Balcony seating is limited; overflow seating will be available in the adjacent cafeteria.

Lorenzen, the 1998 Kentucky Mr. Football his senior year at Highlands, set UK's record for most career passing yards (10,354). He was a backup quarterback for the NFL Giants 2004-07.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.