Stanley “Skip” Bertman, who turned LSU's baseball program into a powerhouse that won five national championships in the span of a decade, died at age 88 early Friday morning.
The former LSU coach and athletic director passed away in a Baton Rouge hospital, LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said.
“Few people have had a greater impact on LSU than Skip Bertman,” LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said in a written statement. “As the greatest college baseball coach of all time, and later as our athletics director, Skip developed a championship standard and culture that still guide us today.”
The LSU Tigers, now synonymous with college baseball's elite and known for fielding numerous major league prospects, had never won a national title when Bertman, a native of Miami, took over the program in 1983.
The College Baseball Hall of Famer's legacy now includes Alex Box Stadium, which opened in 2009, holds about 11,000 and routinely is filled to capacity. The field at the stadium was named for Bertman in 2013. The Tigers also have won three national championships under two of Bertman's successors, most recently in 2025.
“Coach Bertman was so far ahead of his time while leading the LSU Tigers, and as a young coach just starting my journey, I watched, studied, and admired his incredible skills of leading, motivating, teaching, coaching, and ultimately cultivating what became ‘The Powerhouse’ of college baseball,” said current LSU coach Jay Johnson, who guided the Tigers to national titles in 2023 and 2025. “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.”
Since 2013, the College Baseball Foundation's annual award for the nation's top coach has been named the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award. Bertman won it six times between 1986 and 2000.
Bertman coached a total of 18 seasons, retiring in 2001 with a record of 870-330-3 and 11 College World Series appearances. He then served as athletic director until 2008 and athletic director emeritus after that. He continued to live in Baton Rouge, support the university and attend LSU events for the rest of his life.
Bertman coached the Tigers to their first five College World Series championships in 1991, ’93, ’96, ’97 and ’00. His tenure as coach also included seven Southeastern Conference championships. His NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .754 is the highest in history.
Bertman also was head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, which at that time included only amateur players and won a bronze medal in Atlanta.
Bertman played baseball at Miami before going into coaching, starting at the high school level in Miami Beach. His final job before taking over at LSU was as an assistant at Miami under Ron Fraser.
Bertman was preceded in death by his wife, Sandy, and daughter, Lisa.
Funeral arrangements were pending Friday.
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