Ron Abernathy, Dale Brown’s Longtime LSU Assistant, Dies at 75

JACKSON, TN. - Ron Abernathy, a longtime assistant coach under Dale Brown at LSU who helped build the Tigers into a national basketball powerhouse, passed away Monday in Jackson, Tennessee. He was 75.

A Coaching Career That Changed LSU Basketball

Abernathy had retired just this past March after 12 years as head coach at Humboldt High School in Tennessee, and had returned to Baton Rouge in January for the 40th reunion of LSU's 1986 NCAA Final Four team.

How Dale Brown Brought Ron Abernathy to Baton Rouge

A Louisville native and Morehead State graduate, Abernathy was coaching and teaching at Shawnee High School in Louisville when Dale Brown came calling in 1976, hoping to recruit one of Abernathy's star players, forward Durand "Rudy" Macklin. Brown got both. Abernathy joined his staff and made history as LSU's first African-American basketball coach.

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"He was the sweetest, nicest man," Brown recalled. "A spark of positivity. A very good coach. He always had a smile."

Building One of LSU's Greatest Eras

The results spoke for themselves. With Abernathy and Macklin arriving together, LSU rose from the bottom of the SEC to a national contender. Abernathy was part of 13 non-losing seasons, 11 consecutive postseason appearances, two Final Fours (1981 and 1986), three SEC Championships, and the program's only SEC Tournament title in 1980.

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Macklin, LSU's all-time leading rebounder, credited Abernathy's relentless attention to detail as a driving force. "He wouldn't stop," Macklin said. "'Do it again. Run that play again.' He made us better players."

Mentoring Future LSU Leaders

Among those Abernathy recruited was a young point guard from DeRidder, Louisiana named Johnny Jones, who later served as an LSU assistant alongside Abernathy and eventually became head coach of the Tigers. "He was a tremendous role model who constantly emphasized representing your family, team, and school with pride and integrity," Jones said.

Before leaving LSU in 1989, Abernathy also helped land Shaquille O'Neal. He went on to coach at Tennessee State University and later became the winningest coach in Lane College history. In 2019, he was named Tennessee's Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

A Legacy That Extended Beyond Basketball

He is survived by his wife Sharon, son Ron Jr., and daughter Charity.

"His influence extended far beyond basketball," said Jones. "He will be deeply missed, but never forgotten."