Legendary LSU Baseball Coach & Athletics Director Skip Bertman Passes Away Friday Morning

BATON ROUGE, La. – J. Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the legendary LSU baseball coach and athletics director whose innovative vision significantly impacted the state of Louisiana, its flagship university, and the evolution of collegiate athletics, passed away early Friday morning in Baton Rouge. He was 88 years old.

Bertman, born in Detroit, Mich., on May 23, 1938, and raised in Miami Beach, Fla., arrived at LSU in the summer of 1983 and guided the Tigers to five NCAA National Championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000) and 11 College World Series appearances during his 18-season tenure (1984-2001) as baseball coach before working as athletics director for seven years.

As athletics director, he hired four coaches who won National Championships at LSU – Les Miles (football), Paul Mainieri (baseball), Chuck Winstead (men’s golf) and Dennis Shaver (men’s and women’s track & field).

Bertman was instrumental in the implementation of new fundraising methods that changed the trajectory of LSU Athletics, setting it on a course to become the most recognizable college athletics brand around the world.

Bertman is survived by his daughters, Jan, Jodi and Lori, and by his grandchildren, Sophie, Isaac, Sam and Ezra. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Dr. Lisa Jo Pate, and by his wife of 63 years, Sandy, who passed away in March 2025. Skip and Sandy met in 1961 when both were working as teachers at Madie Ives Elementary School in Miami, Fla. The couple was engaged three months later and married on February 11, 1962.

Bertman arrived in Baton Rouge with a vision to transform LSU into the nation’s elite college baseball program. He was hired as the Tigers’ head coach after a highly successful eight-year stint at the University of Miami, where he served as associate head coach and helped lead the Hurricanes to five College World Series appearances, including the 1982 national title. His early coaching career was highlighted by his 1970 Miami Beach High School team, which claimed the Florida state championship.

He was determined to create the same atmosphere of excellence at LSU that he thrived in at Miami. He knew that he would face many challenges in rebuilding a program that was averaging less than 500 fans per game in an aging Alex Box Stadium.

He overhauled every aspect of LSU Baseball and developed a dynasty during 18 remarkable seasons. He demonstrated to athletics directors around the country that college baseball could be a profitable enterprise through dedicated attention to every detail involving academics, facilities, recruiting, marketing and, of course, winning baseball games.

Backed by tremendous community support and the determined work ethic of assistant coaches and players, Bertman made “Baseball At The Box” a must-see event, as thousands poured through the turnstiles at a renovated Alex Box Stadium to inspire the Tigers to win championships.

Bertman compiled an 870-330-3 (.724) record at LSU, leading the Tigers to five national championships and 11 CWS berths. He is one of only three coaches in NCAA Division I history to win five College World Series titles, and he was voted National Coach of the Year in 1986, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.

He coached at LSU 41 players who advanced to Major League Baseball, and three players who have joined him as inductees in the College Baseball Hall of Fame – pitcher Ben McDonald, second baseman Todd Walker and first baseman Eddy Furniss.

Today, college baseball enjoys unprecedented popularity throughout the nation in large part due to Bertman’s unrelenting commitment to greatness. LSU has led the nation in attendance 26 times since 1996, averaging over 11,000 tickets sold per game.

Bertman also enjoyed success at the international level, serving as the head coach of the 1996 United States Olympics team that claimed the bronze medal in Atlanta. He was the pitching coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic squad the captured the gold medal in Seoul.

Bertman served as Director of Athletics at LSU from 2001-08, leading one of the greatest periods of facility growth and athletic accomplishments in the history of the institution. He supervised a highly successful 20-sport program during a period that featured football national championships in 2003 and 2007.

Upon his retirement as baseball coach in 2001, his No. 15 jersey was retired at LSU, and the street in front of the original Alex Box Stadium was re-named Skip Bertman Drive. The playing surface at the new, state-of-the-art Alex Box Stadium, which opened in 2009, was named “Skip Bertman Field” in 2013.

Bertman was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011

He became a pillar of the Baton Rouge community, serving on numerous philanthropic organizations such as United Way, Cancer Services and the Alzheimer’s Association, and he was honored by organizations like the Arthritis Foundation, the Boy Scouts of America and the Anti-Defamation League.

Funeral arrangements for Skip Bertman are pending and will be announced as soon as they become available.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Anything you vividly imagine, ardently desire, sincere believe and enthusiastically act upon must, absolutely must, come to pass.”

-Skip Bertman


The Skip Bertman Head Coaching Era at LSU (1984-2001)

5 NCAA College World Series Championships
1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000

11 College World Series Appearances
1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000

16 NCAA Tournament Berths
1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

7 Southeastern Conference Championships
1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997

6 SEC Tournament Titles
1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000

9 SEC Western Division Championships
1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001

9 Fifty-Win Seasons
1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000

The Skip Bertman Legacy

Six-Time National Coach of the Year
Seven-Time SEC Coach of the Year
Highest Winning Percentage in SEC History (.724)
1988 U.S. Olympic Assistant Coach (Gold Medal)
1996 U.S. Olympic Head Coach (Bronze Medal)
Produced 41 Major League Baseball Players
LSU Jersey No. 15 Retired, 2001
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, Inducted 2002
American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, Inducted 2003
College Baseball Hall of Fame, Inducted 2006
LSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Inducted 2011

(Release via LSU Athletics)