For only the second time in 36 years, the Herald-Leader has a new sports editor
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Brett Dawson becomes Herald-Leader's third sports editor since 1989.
- Mat Graf retires after decade as editor and 34 years of sports newsroom service.
- Herald-Leader's sports division earned top national rankings in 2024 APSE awards.
The Lexington Herald-Leader has a new sports editor.
Brett Dawson, a Kentucky native who has enjoyed an extensive sports journalism career both inside and outside of the commonwealth, has been hired to replace Mat Graf. After working for the Herald-Leader since 1991 and serving as sports editor since 2015, Graf is retiring.
Dawson, a 1991 graduate of Bullitt Central High School and a University of Kentucky alumnus, will be only the third person to serve as Herald-Leader sports editor since 1989.
“Since before I even accepted the sports editor job, people have been telling me what big shoes I have to fill,” Dawson said. “I didn’t need the reminder. When I haven’t been covering UK sports in my life, I’ve been following it, and the Herald-Leader’s sports section — including in the years under Mat’s guidance — has always stood for excellence in journalism, from coverage of Kentucky basketball and football to high school sports and everything in between.”
“We’re so excited to have Brett back in Kentucky and leading the Herald-Leader’s sports staff,” said Richard Green, the newsroom’s executive editor. “He brings passion, experience and a leadership style that will build on Mat’s decade of success. Sports fans will continue to see a unflinching commitment to UK sports coverage with the proper blend of analysis, storytelling and investigative journalism when it’s appropriate.”
Dawson, 51, brings a deep familiarity with the Lexington media market and the UK sports scene. He covered the Wildcats beat for The Courier Journal from 2006 through 2011. From 2011 to 2015, Dawson was publisher of CatsIllustrated.com, a UK sports internet site. Early in his career (1999-2001), Dawson wrote for The Cats’ Pause.
In college, Dawson says he became “hooked” on sports journalism by writing for the Kentucky Kernel, the UK student newspaper. In the spring of 1996, while Rick Pitino was coaching the Kentucky men’s basketball team to UK’s sixth NCAA hoops championship, Dawson worked as an intern in the Herald-Leader sports department.
“I remember doing a story on NCAA championship T-shirt sales,” he said.
When Dawson’s career has taken him outside of Kentucky, his focus has often been the NBA. He has covered the New Orleans Pelicans, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers for various media outlets.
Dawson has also worked in academia, and comes to the Herald-Leader from the position of coordinator of student publications at Oklahoma State University.
Graf, 61, is a Wisconsin native and an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He came to the Herald-Leader from the Indianapolis News in 1991 as a sports copy editor/page designer.
In 1996, Graf was promoted to assistant sports editor, a position he held until he became Herald-Leader sports editor on the retirement of the sports department’s longtime leader, Gene Abell, in 2015.
During Graf’s tenure, the primary focus of the Herald-Leader sports department shifted from print to digital coverage. Graf guided it through the coronavirus pandemic when the Herald-Leader continued to produce sports content even as live sporting events mostly ceased.
“During my 34 years at the Herald-Leader, almost everything has changed,” Graf said. “We now emphasize digital over print. We’ve moved to a new building. And, more days than not, we work remotely.
“Amid all that change, some of the most important aspects of the job are much the same: We can never tell all the stories we’d like to; the people I work with exude brilliance every day; and Lexington remains one of the most customer-savvy and competitive media markets I’ve known.”
Green acknowledged it’s a bittersweet day at the Herald-Leader.
“Mat was a quiet, passionate leader who embraced our readers’ high expectations of the sports staff,” he said. “Brett is going to be terrific and will take our team to the next level, but I’m certainly grateful for Mat’s tenure at the Herald-Leader and the opportunity to work with him. He’s a journalism hall-of-famer for sure.”
Graf is going out on a high note. Both the Herald-Leader’s digital and print portfolios were judged Top 10 in the nation for 2024 by the Associated Press Sports Editors, a designation shared by only three other media outlets in the same judging class.
Four Herald-Leader sportswriters finished in the top 10 in various categories of the 2024 APSE national writing contest, including first-place winners John Clay (column writing) and Jared Peck (high school beat reporting).
“I leave grateful for all the thoughtful editors and publishers with whom I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating,” Graf said. “I’m lucky to have worked side by side with the talented reporters in our newsroom now, and all those who have moved on to greater things. And I’m fortunate to have made so many lifelong friends along the way. “Serving as sports editor of the Lexington Herald-Leader has been the best job I’ve ever known. I look forward to watching Brett Dawson enjoy that same experience while bringing a new energy to the role that you’re going to start noticing almost immediately.”
As he takes the reins of the Herald-Leader sports department, Dawson said he plans to call on his predecessor.
“In my first few days on the job, I’ve learned a lot from Mat, who’s been beyond gracious with his time,” Dawson said. “Unfortunately for him, his retirement will not include an escape from me seeking his guidance. I intend to lean on him as I find my way.
“At the same time, he’s built a remarkable staff that I know will shorten the learning curve. The Herald-Leader has long been one of the great sports sections in America, and we intend to carry on that tradition even as we find new ways to tell stories.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 8:02 AM.
