Dale Brown dies at 90: LSU's all-time winningest basketball coach led Tigers to two Final Four apperances

Brown spent 25 seasons leading LSU's basketball program and racked up 448 career wins

Oct 23, 2026 at 2:48 pm ET • 1 min read

Dale Brown, who won 448 games as LSU's basketball coach from 1972-1997 before he retired as the Tigers' all-time winningest coach, died Friday, the university announced. He was 90.

"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 his 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."

After stints as an assistant coach at Utah State and Washington State, Brown took the LSU job in 1972 and remained with the program for 25 seasons, winning 448 games. Brown led LSU to four SEC regular-season titles (1979, 1981, 1985 and 1991), an SEC Tournament title in 1980 and two Final Four appearances in 1981 and 1986.

Earlier this week, Brown was announced as the 2027 Wohn R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award recipient. Brown, who was a longtime friend of the former UCLA coach, was set to receive the award this spring in Los Angeles.

"I will always remember Dale for his enthusiasm," Wooden once said about Brown. "There are those who say he is a put-on – they just can't believe that he can be what he professes. But I never questioned that. He amazed me because there is a lot more depth to the man. He was much more than a basketball coach."

During his tenure at LSU, Brown notably coached future NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal and Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf). Abdul-Rauf went on to be the No. 3 overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft, while O'Neal was selected No. 1 overall two years later.

Brown was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.