lovelace was born in wolfe city, texas on october 19, 1897. he made his minor league debut in 1920 as an outfielder for the ranger nitros of the west texas league. he had a .267 batting average in 102 games for the nitros. in 1922, lovelace split time with the greenville togs and the dallas steers. he hit .332 for both teams in 146 games.