Updated
Updated · NOLA.com · Aug 14
LSU Baseball Architect Skip Bertman Dies at 88 After Winning 5 National Titles
Updated
Updated · NOLA.com · Aug 14

LSU Baseball Architect Skip Bertman Dies at 88 After Winning 5 National Titles

3 articles · Updated · NOLA.com · Aug 14

Summary

  • Skip Bertman died at 1:12 a.m. Friday in Baton Rouge at age 88, ending the life of the coach who turned LSU baseball into a national power.
  • Eighteen seasons after arriving in 1984, Bertman had won five national championships, seven SEC titles and reached the NCAA tournament 16 times before stepping down as coach in 2001.
  • LSU then made him athletic director, and from 2001 to 2008 he modernized facilities and spearheaded the new Alex Box Stadium, whose field bears his name.
  • College baseball also felt his wider imprint: LSU led the nation in attendance in each of his final six seasons, and Bertman later entered the inaugural College Baseball Hall of Fame class in 2006.

Insights

How did a baseball coach's transition to athletic director forever alter the financial and structural landscape of collegiate sports in Louisiana?
What secret psychological tactics behind Bertman's team mantra turned a struggling college baseball program into an unstoppable national brand?