Longtime former LSU men’s basketball coach Dale Brown has died, the university confirmed Friday, Oct. 23. He was 90 years old.
A cause of death was not specified.
Brown coached the Tigers for 25 years, from 1972-97. Over that time, he guided what had been a middling SEC program to an extended stretch of national relevance.
The LSU Basketball family is saddened to announce the passing of legendary coach Dale Brown at the age of 90.
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) October 23, 2026
🔗 - https://t.co/4k1I1qlwzcpic.twitter.com/U0ctlUDiBI
LSU made the NCAA Tournament 13 times over a stretch of 15 seasons from 1978-93, including twice as a No. 1 seed. That period was highlighted by a pair of Final Four appearances, in 1981 and 1986. Prior to Brown’s hiring in 1972, the Tigers had made the NCAA Tournament only twice in program history.
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Two days before his death, Brown was named the 2027 recipient of the Los Angeles Athletic Club John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The announcement came with a video tribute from Shaquille O’Neal, the biggest star (literally and figuratively) Brown coached in his time at the school.
“He made me one of the best basketball players ever,” O’Neal said in the video. “Daddy Dale — we call you ‘Daddy’ for a reason. I love you and congratulations. I am so proud of you, Coach.”
A special message from @SHAQ congratulating Dale Brown on his @WoodenAward Legends of Coaching Award 🏆 pic.twitter.com/9HUgI2Bc1b
— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) October 21, 2026
Brown’s 448 victories are the most by a coach in LSU men’s basketball history by a significant margin, with the next closest coach, Harry Rabenhorst, more than 100 wins behind him. At the time of Brown’s final game in 1997, he was the second-winningest coach in SEC history, behind only Adolph Rupp.
Brown’s teams won four SEC regular-season championships, including a 1980-81 squad led by All-American Rudy Macklin that won a program single-season record 31 games on its way to a Final Four. That season, Brown was named national coach of the year. Five years later, a less-heralded Tigers squad made a Cinderella run to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed, including an upset of No. 1 seed Kentucky in the Elite Eight, before losing to eventual national champion Louisville in the national semifinals.
In addition to the success of his teams, Brown coached some of the greatest players of their respective eras, including six All-Americans. Before becoming a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and one of the most dominant big men in NBA history, O’Neal was a two-time first-team All-American at LSU. Shortly before O’Neal reached those heights, Brown coached star guard Chris Jackson (who later changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf), a two-time first-team All-American who is one of the most electrifying scorers in college basketball history.
Brown’s death came eight days before what would have been his 91st birthday.
"We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known,” Brown’s family said in a statement. “Dale Brown always put others first. He always led with the heart. He was always a great humanitarian before anything else. Dale long ago fell in love with Louisiana. And the people of Louisiana loved him right back. We are forever grateful for that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dale Brown dies at 90: LSU basketball legend coached Shaq, led 2 Final Four runs