Many honors and accolades have been bestowed upon Brown, yet he has never turned his back on his hometown and home state.

“Every time I return to my home state I can feel my roots beneath my very feet and the past whispering in my ear. I would not change my upbringing in North Dakota for anything,” Brown said in the March 28, 2016, edition of The Minot Daily News.

These are the words from a boy who lived in a small apartment above a bar and hardware store while his mother worked to provide a living for him and his siblings. Brown delivered papers to help with expenses, also reported in the March 28, 2016, edition.

Brown told The Minot Daily News in a phone conversation Tuesday, Oct. 21, that he was 9 years old when he went to the newspaper office to get a job delivering papers. He said he was told he was too young but they gave him a chance and he delivered many newspapers in Minot.

MDN File Photo Dale Brown, right, invited his former teammate Henry Milkey of Minot, left, onto the stage and invited Milkey to pass the basketball duri

Brown said he will celebrate his 90th birthday on Halloween, Oct. 31.

He was born and grew up in Minot. He graduated from St. Leo’s High School and Minot State Teacher’s College (Minot State University). He was a star athlete at both St. Leo’s and Minot State. He also received a master’s degree at the University of Oregon. He taught several subjects and coached at Columbus High School and later was a teacher and coach at Bishop Ryan High School (Bishop Ryan Catholic School) in Minot, according to the Aug. 21, 2016, edition of The Minot Daily News.

After sports positions in several states, he and his wife, Vonnie, arrived in Louisiana, where he rose to national prominence as head coach of the LSU Tigers and became the winningest coach in LSU history and the winningest coach in Southeastern Conference (SEC) history.

Brown helped produce dozens of NBA players, with the most famous one being superstar center Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal. The two have remained lifelong friends, according to the Nov. 21, 2021, edition of The Minot Daily News.

Brown, a U.S. Army veteran, O’Neal and Congressman Kevin Cramer, now a U.S. senator, visited Minot Air Force Base in September 2015, where they met with military personnel and their families and toured the base. Brown and O’Neal spoke to airmen about overcoming challenges in life and the true meaning of being successful.

Eloise Ogden/MDN This monument at the basketball courts in Hammond Park, Minot, shown Tuesday, Oct. 21, honors Minot native Dale Brown and his sports career.

Among honors bestowed upon Brown in his hometown of Minot include the basketball courts at Hammond Park, dedicated Aug. 20, 2016, and a monument honoring him unveiled at the same time.

He has been inducted in several hall of fames, including the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981, the North Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and the Bishop Ryan Hall of Fame in 2004.

The eighth annual Dale Brown Hoopster Classic will be held Dec. 27-30 at the MSU Dome and the Minot Municipal Auditorium, according to MSU Communications information.

Family and friends of the Browns set up the Dale and Vonnie Brown Scholarship Endowment at Minot State in 2017. The endowment helps incoming freshmen at MSU who demonstrate financial need and are a resident of North Dakota, according to MSU Communications.

“I received a superior education at Minot State,” Dale Brown said. “I am eternally grateful for the excellent instructors and athletic scholarship I received.” Vonnie Brown, originally from Columbus, also graduated from Minot State.

Dale Brown, former college basketball coach, is greeted by airmen from the 91st Missile Wing at Minot Air Force Base Sept. 8, 2015. As a part of their base visit, Brown, Shaquille O’Neal, former professional basketball player, and Kevin Cramer, U.S. congressman now senator, back right, toured the base, and met with and spoke to military personnel and their families. Minot AFB photo.

Brown, who resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his wife, has had many achievements and honors yet says he is thankful for the foundation the city of Minot has provided for him.

“Edgar Guest is my favorite poet. His piece titled “The Home-town” is exactly how I feel about Minot. The home town is the best town after all,” Brown said in a story in the Nov. 27, 2021, edition of The Minot Daily News.

“We have been truly blessed to have been raised in Minot,” Brown said.

You can go home again

By DALE BROWN

Thomas Wolfe, one of our great novelists, wrote a book titled, “You Can’t Go Home Again.” Oh yes, you can, if you pack right for the trip.

On this voyage back to my roots I wondered what should I pack in my suitcase? What should be included among my shirts and socks?

Begin with memories. Begin with the thoughts of a mother who taught you the proper way to live. Include teachers and coaches who gave you words of wisdom and understanding. Be sure to pack thanks to all those friends that gave you words of encouragement.

Throw in a whole lot of love… love for the people… love for the state of North Dakota which taught you that the American dream was in fact not a dream at all… but the reality that you made of it.

And finally, pack some hope too… hope that in some small way you can give to others what was given to you… belief in God, respect for this blessed land and a mathematical truth that in America, decency and hard work equal success.

So yes, you can go home again.