Dale Brown, the longtime LSU men's basketball coach who turned the Tigers into a national contender, died Friday, Oct. 23. He was 90.

Brown led the program for 25 seasons, from 1972 to 1997, and won 448 games, more than any other head coach in school history. Under him, LSU won four Southeastern Conference regular-season championships, reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times and made Final Four appearances in 1981 and 1986.

His death came only two days after LSU announced that he had been chosen to receive the 2027 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award, which recognizes his accomplishments and influence on college basketball.

Among the players Brown coached were future NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who was formerly known as Chris Jackson, and LSU standout Rudy Macklin.

In a statement, Brown's family described him as a man who put others first. "We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known," the family said, adding that he "always led with the heart" and was "a great humanitarian before anything else." They also said he fell in love with Louisiana long ago and that its people "loved him right back."

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X that Brown "put LSU Basketball on the map" and that his impact would be felt for decades. Sports journalist Marc J. Spears, also on X, called Brown "an extraordinary human" and thanked him for his time and wisdom in conversations about basketball and life.

Brown arrived in Baton Rouge in 1972 and set about building a program that could compete with the best in the country. He traveled around Louisiana promoting LSU basketball and urging fans to back the Tigers. In 1979, LSU won its first SEC regular-season title since 1954. Two years later, the team reached the 1981 Final Four, and it returned to that stage in 1986.

Brown was the Associated Press National Coach of the Year in 1981 and was named SEC Coach of the Year four times. He was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame. LSU unveiled Dale Brown Court inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in 2022, and in 2023 it was renamed Dale Brown/Sue Gunter Court to honor both former LSU basketball coaches.

In a 2025 interview with WAFB investigative reporter Chris Nakamoto, Brown recalled a game in Baton Rouge against undefeated, top-ranked Kentucky in which all five of his starters had fouled out. He said he told his remaining players, "From now on you are not substitutes, you are backups," and that LSU went on to win. Asked how he wanted to be remembered, he credited his mother with teaching him to do what is right and stand up for it. He also recalled her warning that spending too much time polishing one's image tarnishes character.

Brown was born Oct. 31, 1935, in Minot, North Dakota. He died eight days before his 91st birthday.