Dale Brown, coach who turned LSU into a national power, dies at 90
Longtime LSU men's basketball coach Dale Brown, who guided the Tigers to two Final Fours and coached Shaquille O'Neal over 25 seasons, has died aged 90. LSU announced his death on Friday; no cause of death was given.
Dale Brown, the charismatic coach who turned LSU men’s basketball into a national power over 25 seasons, has died aged 90. The university announced his death on Friday, 23 October. No cause of death was announced.
Brown arrived in Baton Rouge from Washington State in 1972 — his first and only head coaching job — and compiled a 448–301 record, the most victories of any coach in LSU men’s basketball history. His Tigers reached the NCAA Final Four in 1981 and 1986, losing both times to the eventual champions, and won four SEC regular-season titles.
His most famous player was Shaquille O’Neal, a two-time first-team All-American at LSU before his Hall of Fame NBA career. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, then known as Chris Jackson, also starred under Brown.
Two days before his death, Brown was named the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The announcement came with a video tribute from O’Neal, who called him “Daddy Dale”.
“We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known,” Brown’s family said in a statement.
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