Skip Bertman, legendary LSU baseball coach and athletic director, dies at 88
As a coach, Bertman led the Tigers to national championships in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
J. Stanley "Skip" Bertman, a legendary LSU baseball coach and athletic director, passed away at the age of 88 on Friday. Throughout his career, Bertman led the LSU Tigers to five national championships in baseball, a feat matched by only two other coaches in Men's College World Series history. His tenure as head coach, which began in 1984 and concluded in 2001, saw 11 appearances in the prestigious tournament and an impressive record of 870-330-3.
After hanging up his coaching cap, Bertman served as the athletic director at LSU for seven years. During this time, he successfully recruited and hired four coaches who would go on to win national titles, including former football coach Les Miles and head baseball coach Paul Mainieri. Miles led the Tigers to a BCS national championship in 2007, while Mainieri brought LSU back to prominence with their MCWS title in 2009.
LSU's current athletic director, Verge Ausberry, praised Bertman as the greatest college baseball coach of all time and a dear friend, mentor, and advisor. He expressed his gratitude for the lessons Bertman taught him and vowed to honor his legacy by following in his footsteps. The athletic director also extended his thoughts and prayers to Bertman's loved ones during this difficult time.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
