Dale Brown, who mailed drills to teen Shaq, passes away at 90

Dale Brown, a longtime basketball coach at Louisiana State University, died on Friday, Oct. 23. He was 90 years old.

Brown is best known for discovering Shaquille O'Neal. The two first met in 1984 at a military base in West Germany. Brown was running a basketball clinic when the 13-year-old O'Neal approached him. The teenager was already 6 feet, 9 inches tall. Brown initially mistook O'Neal for a soldier and asked how long he had served in the Army.

After O'Neal explained his age, Brown began mailing the young player letters and basketball exercises. They maintained this correspondence as O'Neal developed into a top high school prospect. Brown eventually recruited O'Neal to play for LSU. O'Neal played for the Tigers from 1989 to 1992. He earned two consensus All-American honors and two SEC Player of the Year awards during his time there.

O'Neal was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft. Their relationship continued after O'Neal left college. In a 1999 letter to Brown, O'Neal wrote, "You are the only college coach I ever had, and the only one I ever wanted." Brown was present when O'Neal won his first NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. That same year, O'Neal returned to Baton Rouge to finish his degree, fulfilling a promise made to Brown and his family.

In a 2015 interview with Esquire, O'Neal described Brown as a father figure, leader, and motivator. ESPN also released a documentary titled "Shaq & Dale" in 2015. The film, directed by Hannah Storm and narrated by Tim McGraw, chronicled their bond from their meeting in Germany through O'Neal's professional career. According to LSU, the two stayed in contact through letters and emails for decades.

Brown received recognition for his coaching work just days before his death. On Oct. 21, LSU announced that he was selected as the 2027 recipient of the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award. O'Neal recorded a video message to congratulate Brown. Brown was scheduled to receive the award in April 2027.