NATCHITOCHES — Legendary Northwestern State coach and administrator and longtime Natchitoches resident Tynes Hildebrand, a 2014 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee, passed away Sunday afternoon in the Dallas area at the age of 93 following a brief illness.
Services for Hildebrand, a Florien native who became a decades-long cornerstone of the NSU athletic department and the Natchitoches community, are pending. The funeral will be in Natchitoches, according to family members.
A member of Northwestern’s track and field and basketball teams as an undergraduate, Hildebrand became a highly successful coach at Natchitoches High School before moving to the college ranks at his alma mater.
Hildebrand’s 16-season run from 1965-80 as the Demons; head 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 along with dozens of other future ADs and administrators. As the leader of 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.
A 2022 inductee into Northwestern’s Long Purple Line – the highest honor for NSU alumni – Hildebrand was presented the LABC’s 2024 Don Landry Award, becoming only the fourth recipient of an honor that recognizes deeply distinguished service and significant contributions to the LABC and the sport of basketball in Louisiana.
Following his time as AD at Northwestern, Hildebrand remained tied to basketball as a respected NCAA Division I officials evaluator for 17 years, beginning in 1997. In 2006, he was chosen as one of the NCAA’s inaugural four regional officiating supervisors and helped select NCAA Tournament officials through his retirement in 2014.
Hildebrand was active in the Natchitoches community, notably as a member of the local Kiwanis Club and in his church.
He is survived by his wife, Julia, and sons Tynes Jr. and Bruce, their families, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.