Dale Brown, the LSU coach who mailed drills to a teen Shaq, dies at 90

Dale Brown, a longtime basketball coach at Louisiana State University, died on Friday, October 23, at the age of 90. Brown is widely recognized for identifying and recruiting Shaquille O'Neal when the future NBA star was a teenager. This connection helped shape one of the most lucrative careers in professional sports history.

The pair first met in 1984 at a military base in West Germany. Brown was conducting a basketball clinic when a 13-year-old O'Neal, who stood 6 feet 9 inches tall, approached him for advice. Brown initially mistook the young athlete for a soldier. Upon learning his age, Brown began a long-term mentorship by mailing O'Neal letters and specific basketball exercises.

This correspondence continued as O'Neal developed into a top high school prospect. Brown eventually recruited him to play for LSU from 1989 to 1992. During his time in Baton Rouge, O'Neal earned two consensus All-American honors and was named SEC Player of the Year twice. He was selected as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

The relationship extended beyond the college court. In a 1999 letter congratulating Brown on his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, O'Neal wrote: "You are the only college coach I ever had, and the only one I ever wanted." Brown was present for O'Neal's first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. That same year, O'Neal returned to LSU to complete his college degree, fulfilling a promise he made to Brown and his family.

LSU Athletics noted that the two maintained regular contact through letters and emails for decades. In 2015, ESPN released a documentary titled "Shaq & Dale," which traced their history from Germany through O'Neal's professional success. The film was directed by Hannah Storm and narrated by Tim McGraw.

Two days before Brown's death, LSU announced that he had been selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. The university said O'Neal recorded a video message to congratulate him on the honor. Brown was scheduled to receive the award in April 2027.