Skip Bertman, the LSU baseball coach who led the Tigers to five College World Series titles before becoming the school’s athletic director, died at the age of 88, the university announced Friday morning.
LSU hired Bertman in 1982, and he transformed the Tigers into the nation’s preeminent baseball program. He went 870-330-3 in 18 seasons and won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
As an AD, he presided over two BCS champion football teams, first in 2003, led by coach Nick Saban, and then in 2007, coached by Les Miles, whom Bertman hired.
In announcing his death, LSU called Bertman “the greatest coach in college baseball history, a visionary leader, and one of the most impactful figures in the evolution of collegiate athletics.”
Skip Bertman coaching during the 1991 College World Series, in which LSU defeated Wichita State. (Anthony Neste/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“Skip Bertman was one of my idols,” Vanderbilt baseball coach Tim Corbin said. “He had a magnetic personality that drew people to him, and he had a way of making you feel his energy, his confidence and his belief in what was possible.
“He was ahead of his time in how he marketed our game, how he built a program, and how he connected people to college baseball. … He was a special gentleman, a giant in our game, and his influence will be felt for generations.”
Bertman guided LSU to 11 appearances in the College World Series, an 89-29 record in NCAA Tournament games, and seven SEC titles. He played collegiately at Miami and later served as an assistant coach at his alma mater for eight seasons before taking over at LSU.
In 1982, while still at Miami, Bertman was the architect of “The Grand Illusion” hidden ball trick during the College World Series — one of the most famous plays in the history of college baseball. Miami went on to win the game and eventually its first national title in school history.
His baseball record in SEC games was 328-159-2, and he had only one season without a winning league mark — his first, when the Tigers went 12-12. Before his arrival, LSU had a winning SEC record only once in its previous eight baseball seasons.
During Bertman’s tenure, he coached 41 players who later reached MLB. He was also the coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team that won bronze in Atlanta, and the pitching coach of the 1988 Olympic team that won gold in Seoul.
He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame and the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame, and was a member of the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006.
“The impact he made and legacy he has left on the state of Louisiana and college baseball is beyond remarkable and will never be duplicated,” current LSU coach Jay Johnson said in a university release. “I love you Coach, I will miss you, and will continue to work every day in a manner that I know would make you proud.”