By Jason Pugh, Northwestern State Assistant Athletic Director for External Relations
NATCHITOCHES – Legendary Northwestern State coach and administrator Tynes Hildebrand passed away Sunday afternoon in Texas at the age of 93 following a brief illness.
Services for Hildebrand, a decades-long cornerstone of the NSU athletic department, are pending.
A member of Northwestern State’s track and field and basketball teams as an undergraduate, Hildebrand’s 16-season run from 1965-80 as his alma mater’s head men’s basketball coach resulted in 191 wins, four NAIA national tournament appearances, two straight Gulf South Conference championships, two conference coach of the year honors and NSU’s transition into its NCAA Division I era. During that time, Hildebrand was invited by legendary Oklahoma State coach Henry Iba to help choose the members of the 1972 U.S. Olympic Team.
Although Hildebrand’s victory total remains third in Demon men’s basketball history, it was the 13 years Hildebrand spent as director of athletics that added an equal impact to the face of NSU athletics.
In addition to serving on the then-Division I-AA football selection panel and additional NCAA committees, Hildebrand served as a mentor for current Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey and former NSU athletic director Greg Burke. As the top administrator in NSU’s athletic department, Hildebrand was instrumental in guiding Northwestern State into the Southland Conference in 1987.
Hildebrand’s decades of service led him to induction in the N-Club Hall of Fame in 1985, the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 1999, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame as the 2014 Dave Dixon Louisiana Sports Leadership Award recipient and the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Mr. Louisiana Basketball in 1981.
Following his time at Northwestern State, Hildebrand remained tied to basketball as a respected NCAA Division I official evaluator for 17 years, beginning in 1997. In 2006, he was chosen as one of the NCAA’s inaugural four regional officiating supervisors.
A 2022 inductee into Northwestern State’s Long Purple Line – the highest honor for NSU alumni – Hildebrand was named the LABC’s 2024 Don Landry Award winner, picking up the honor that recognizes distinguished service and significant contributions to the LABC.