LSU Coach Dale Brown Dies at 90, Two Days After Wooden Award Selection

Longtime LSU basketball coach Dale Brown died on Friday, Oct. 23, at the age of 90. His death came just two days after the university announced he would receive a major coaching honor in 2027. Brown’s career is closely tied to the early development of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal.

The two first met in 1984 at a basketball clinic held on a military base in West Germany. O'Neal was 13 years old and already stood 6 feet, 9 inches tall. He approached Brown to ask for advice on improving his game. Brown initially mistook the teenager for a soldier and asked how long he had served in the Army. Upon learning O'Neal's age, Brown recognized his potential.

Following that meeting, Brown began mailing letters and basketball exercises to the young player. They maintained this correspondence as O'Neal matured into a top high school prospect. Brown eventually recruited O'Neal to play for the LSU Tigers from 1989 to 1992. During his time in Baton Rouge, O'Neal was named a consensus All-American twice and won SEC Player of the Year honors twice. He was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

The relationship between the coach and the player extended beyond the court. In a 1999 letter published by LSU Athletics, O'Neal wrote: "You are the only college coach I ever had, and the only one I ever wanted." Brown attended O'Neal's first NBA championship game with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. That same year, O'Neal returned to LSU to finish his college degree, fulfilling a promise he made to his family and Brown when he left school in 1992. In a 2015 interview with Esquire, O'Neal described Brown as a "father figure, leader, and a motivator."

In October 2015, ESPN released a documentary titled "Shaq & Dale." Directed by Hannah Storm and narrated by Tim McGraw, the film followed O'Neal back to LSU to visit Brown. The documentary traced their history from the clinic in Germany through O'Neal's professional career. LSU Athletics stated that the two remained in regular contact via letters and emails for decades.

On Oct. 21, LSU announced that Brown had been selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. O'Neal recorded a video message to congratulate Brown on the selection. The award was scheduled to be presented in April 2027.