Former LSU men's basketball coach Dale Brown, program's all-time wins leader, dies at 90

Former LSU men's basketball coach Dale Brown died Friday at the age of 90. Brown's family confirmed his death in a statement issued to multiple outlets and the LSU program.

Brown coached the Tigers for 25 seasons from 1972-97, compiling a record of 448-301. His win total is the highest in LSU men's basketball history and his 238 conference wins rank second behind Kentucky's Adolph Rupp in SEC history.

LSU's best season under Brown was the 1980-81 campaign, when the Tigers finished with a 31-5 record, a first-place standing in the SEC and a trip to the Final Four.

During Brown's tenure, LSU won four SEC regular-season titles and one conference tournament championship. His teams earned 13 NCAA tournament berths and advanced to two Final Fours.

Brown's 1985-86 team was the first No. 11 seed to ever reach the Final Four , defeating No. 6 Purdue, No. 3 Memphis State, No. 2 Georgia Tech and No. 1 Kentucky in the Southeast region on its way to the national semifinals. The Tigers lost in the Final Four to Louisville, the No. 2 seed out of the West.

LSU nearly made a third Final Four in the 1987 NCAA tournament, losing to eventual national champion Indiana 78-77 in the Elite Eight.

"We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known. Dale Brown always put others first," Brown's family said in a statement. "He always led with the heart. He was always a great humanitarian before anything else." "Dale long ago fell in love with Louisiana," the statement added. "And the people of Louisiana loved him right back. We are forever grateful for that."

"We have lost the most loving and most loved man any of us has ever known. Dale Brown always put others first," Brown's family said in a statement. "He always led with the heart. He was always a great humanitarian before anything else."

"Dale long ago fell in love with Louisiana," the statement added. "And the people of Louisiana loved him right back. We are forever grateful for that."

Brown's death comes days after he received the 2027 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award from the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The award will be presented during a ceremony in April in Los Angeles.

"I will always remember Dale for his enthusiasm," the legendary UCLA coach once said of 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."

The star players Brown coached in Baton Rouge include Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (then Chris Jackson), John "Hot Rod" Williams and Rudy Macklin. Macklin, O'Neal and Abdul-Rauf rank second, sixth and eighth, respectively, among LSU's all-time leading scorers .