After the United States entered World War II in December 1941, Lemons joined the Merchant Marine.

[6] In 1947, Lemons transferred to Oklahoma City University (OCU) where he played two years for coach Doyle Parrack.

Lemons coached several All-America & future NBA players, such as Arnold Short[7] and Hub Reed.

Lemons became the head coach at the University of Texas on March 16, 1976, succeeding Leon Black who had resigned seventeen days prior on February 28.

In March 1978, Lemons led the University of Texas to the championship of the NIT with a victory over North Carolina State.

The Longhorns would enjoy a minor blip in national prominence under Lemons, with the aforementioned NIT championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1979.

When Rice head coach Mike Schuler made 99 substitutions in a 78–64 Longhorns victory at the Frank Erwin Center on January 17, 1978, Lemons commented, "All they need are a few clowns to make a circus."

In his second stint at the program, Lemons took the Chiefs (now known as the Stars) to the NAIA Championship tournament once and to the District IX playoffs four times.

He established himself as a "teacher of men," not only in sports, but in the values of life, as proven by the success and leadership accomplishments of his students and players.