Porter's coaching career began in 1966 when he coached the freshman team at Adams State. In 1969, he became an ,assistant coach at Denver's Manual High School. Two years later, Porter became the head coach at Manual and led the Thunderbolts to a 21-2 record, the Colorado 3A (big school) state title and a #1 ranking in an annual U.S. Southwest Region poll. In 1972, Porter returned to the collegiate coaching as assistant at the University of Nebraska.

In 1977, Porter was hired as the tenth men's basketball coach in the modern era at Regis. His first team compiled a 20-7 record and captured a share of the RMAC championship. Porter earned NAIA District VII Coach of the Year honors following his initial season.

Porter's list of awards and achievements as the head coach at Regis include: a 1990 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Merit Award; the African American Spotlight Award in 1994 and four RMAC/Colorado Athletic Conference (CAC) Coach of the Year citations.

Following the 1994-95 season, Porter was honored as the NCAA II North Central Region Coach of the Year. In 2001, Porter received a "7Everyday Hero Award" from Denver's KMGH 7NEWS, a "Most Caring Coach Award" from USA Weekend Magazine and a Youth Involvement Award from Colorado Black Women for Political Action. In March 2001, Porter was inducted into the 37th class of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

In January of 2002, Porter was chosen to run the final Denver segment of the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Torch Relay by Denver Mayor Wellington Webb. In November of 2002, Porter was honored with a BCA Images of Excellence Award (presented by Dell), which recognizes individuals for their leadership and accomplishments in the advancement of minorities in sports.

Porter was inducted into the East High School (Waterloo, Iowa) Athletic Hall of Fame, his prep alma mater. Later that year, Porter would also be enshrined in his former high school's Hall of Fame.

During the summer of 2003, Porter was named "Honorary Fire Chief" by the Denver Fire Department in recognition of his continued efforts to give back to the community particularly through his efforts with the Lonnie Porter Leadership Academy. Porter was selected to be enshrined in the Iowa Hall of Pride during the summer of 2004. In the fall of 2005, Porter was presented with the Albert C. Yates Education Award from The Links, Incorporated, Denver Chapter.

Porter is married to the former Beverly "Sunny" Hobbs. Porter's daughter, Staci, is a 1991 graduate of Regis University and is director of the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy.

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