What started as stories from my Dad, a Kentucky fan, turned into an hour phone call with the legendary Dale Brown. That conversation with the former LSU Head Coach had been a lifelong dream of mine to sit down with a man who did so much for the game of SEC Basketball. Sure, Coach Dale Brown is about as LSU as it comes, but what separates him from the others; despite his fame, Coach Dale Brown remains the same humble man born in Minot, North Dakota, to a single mother. In the conversation on the podcast, Coach Brown mentioned his reason for being so humble and always willing to give back. A young, Coach Dale Brown, had seen the Minneapolis Lakers play a basketball game. The Lakers players refused to sign autographs for the young Brown; at that moment, Coach made a personal commitment to always treat everyone with kindness.

Coach Brown came to LSU back when SEC Basketball was no man’s land, where coaches went when they had no other option. Except for a few, Southeastern Conference Basketball when Coach Brown was not what it was today. You had Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama. LSU was an easy win for many until Coach Brown took over, leading the Tigers to two Final Four appearances and turning LSU into a top-tier Southeastern Conference Basketball program.

For many programs across the Southeastern Conference, a win over Kentucky means the season. For Coach Brown, beating Kentucky was the standard for his LSU Basketball program. There has never been a coach in basketball that has defeated Kentucky more than Dale Brown. Coach Brown has a career total of eighteen wins over the Wildcats, including several instant classic wins that forever live in the folklore of Southeastern Conference Basketball. Coach respected Kentucky, but beating Kentucky was the needle that moved the compass for his LSU Basketball program.

However, Coach Dale Brown did much more than turn LSU Basketball into one of the best programs in the Southeastern Conference. Coach Brown played a crucial role in shaping modern Southeastern Conference Basketball. He provided the next generation of coaches with the groundwork to be successful nationally in college basketball.

As great of a career as Coach Brown had at LSU, that isn’t what defines Dale Brown. Coach Brown has a lasting legacy for the relationships he has built through the years. Coach has spent his life pouring into others, famously his relationship with the legendary Shaq. Coach Brown and Shaq met at an army base in Wildflecken, Germany. Shaquille O’Neal was a 13-year-old boy when he met Coach Brown. Through the years, Shaq and Dale Brown stayed in contact for years until Shaquille O’Neal signed to play at LSU. From there, the relationship between the two was a bond that was an unbreakable love.

Coach Dale Brown is a college basketball icon, and his reach on the sport will transcend the generations to come.