Shaquille O'Neal's coach Dale Brown dies at 90 after Wooden Award selection

Dale Brown won 448 games as a head coach, a record that stands as the highest total in LSU men's basketball history. The longtime Tigers coach died on Friday, Oct. 23, at the age of 90.

Brown guided the program for 25 seasons between 1972 and 1997. During that span, LSU secured four Southeastern Conference regular-season titles and qualified for the NCAA Tournament 13 times. The team reached the Final Four twice, in 1981 and 1986. Brown earned the Associated Press National Coach of the Year award in 1981 and was named SEC Coach of the Year on four occasions.

His death arrived just 48 hours after LSU announced his selection for the 2027 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The honor recognizes his influence on the sport and his specific accomplishments on the court.

The roster under Brown included several future stars, most notably NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, formerly known as Chris Jackson, and Rudy Macklin also played under his direction. Brown arrived in Baton Rouge in 1972 with a mission to build a national contender. He traveled throughout Louisiana to promote the team and build a fan base that supported the Tigers.

Brown's family released a statement describing him as a man who prioritized others. They stated, "We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known." The family added that he "always led with the heart" and served as "a great humanitarian before anything else." They noted that he fell in love with Louisiana and that its people returned that affection.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry posted on X that Brown "put LSU Basketball on the map." Sports journalist Marc J. Spears also took to X to call Brown "an extraordinary human." Brown was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, and the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2023, the court at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center was renamed Dale Brown/Sue Gunter Court.

In a 2025 interview with WAFB reporter Chris Nakamoto, Brown recalled a game against top-ranked Kentucky where all five starters fouled out. He told his remaining players, "From now on you are not substitutes, you are backups." LSU won that game. Brown, who was born in Minot, North Dakota, died eight days before his 91st birthday.