Dale Brown, the coach who turned LSU basketball into a national power and brought a young Shaquille O’Neal to Baton Rouge, has died at age 90, days after being chosen for a major career honor.
Story Snapshot
- Brown died at 90, eight days before his 91st birthday, LSU Athletics said.
- He coached LSU for 25 seasons, from 1972 to 1997, and won 448 games, the most in school history.
- He led the Tigers to the Final Four twice, in 1981 and 1986, and won four Southeastern Conference titles.
- He coached Shaquille O’Neal and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, two of LSU’s most famous players.
- His family called him “the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known.”
- Brown first met Shaquille O’Neal as a 13-year-old at a basketball clinic in Germany and later brought him to LSU.
LSU Mourns Its Winningest Coach
LSU Athletics announced that Dale Brown died on Friday, October 23, at age 90. The school called him the winningest coach in LSU basketball history. No cause of death has been released, and the family has not announced memorial plans.
His death came three days after a major honor. On Tuesday, October 20, the Los Angeles Athletic Club and the John R. Wooden Award named Brown the 2027 winner of the Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The award is named for John Wooden, the famed UCLA coach, and it honors coaches whose success, leadership and character reflect Wooden’s values. Brown was set to receive it in Los Angeles in April 2027. O’Neal sent a video tribute for the occasion. Wooden himself once said of Brown, “He was much more than a basketball coach.”
A Coaching Career Built on Toughness and Loyalty
Brown grew up in Minot, North Dakota. He started out as a high school coach, teacher and principal, then worked as an assistant at Utah State and Washington State before LSU hired him in 1972.
He stayed 25 seasons. His 448 wins were the second most in Southeastern Conference history at the time, behind Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp. His teams made 13 NCAA Tournaments, including 10 in a row from 1984 to 1993. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1981.
The Final Four, the last four teams left in the national college tournament, was his high mark. His 1981 team won 31 games. His 1986 team entered the tournament as an 11th seed, meaning it was ranked well below most of the field. It beat Purdue, Memphis State, Georgia Tech and Kentucky to reach the Final Four, the lowest seed to get that far at the time.
The Man Who Discovered Shaquille O’Neal
Brown is best remembered for finding O’Neal. He met him as a 13-year-old at a basketball clinic in Germany and later brought him to LSU. O’Neal went on to become one of the most dominant centers the game has seen. Brown also coached Chris Jackson, who later took the name Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
In all, Brown coached six All-Americans, the players picked as the best in the country each season. He is in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. In January 2022, LSU named the court at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center after him.
Family Statement Reflects a Life Rooted in Louisiana
Brown’s family released a statement through LSU. It described him as a humanitarian who put others first, loved Louisiana and “led with the heart.” The statement read, “We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known.”
LSU Basketball posted, “Yes indeed, I loved them Tigers.” He leaves behind a program, a state and a generation of players shaped by his demanding but caring way of coaching.
Sources:
lsusports.net, abcnews.com, nytimes.com, cbssports.com, espn.com, usatoday.com