Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the “elephant brain” coach who was always several moves ahead, passes away

Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the legendary architect of LSU baseball and a transformative athletic director, has died at the age of 88. Bertman passed away at 1:12 a.m. Friday at Baton Rouge General Hospital, surrounded by his daughters, according to WAFB.

Bertman is remembered for transforming LSU baseball into a five-time national championship program and for his significant contributions to college athletics as an administrator.

He became LSU's head baseball coach in 1984, taking over a program that was considered modest at the time. Over 18 seasons, from 1984 to 2001, Bertman led the Tigers to five NCAA College World Series championships in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000. LSU also reached the College World Series 11 times and won seven Southeastern Conference titles during his tenure.


Bertman's teams finished with a remarkable 870-330-3 record, giving him a .724 winning percentage. He also posted a .754 winning percentage in NCAA Tournament play, a mark LSU and other sources have identified as the highest in college baseball history.

His coaching success extended to the international stage. Bertman served as an assistant coach for the United States team that won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He later served as head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic baseball team in Atlanta, which won the bronze medal.

Former LSU player Rich Cordani, a star on Bertman's first national championship team, once offered a memorable description of his former coach's ability to anticipate situations.

“Skip has elephant brain. You couldn’t get anything past him,” Cordani said. “He would always be ahead mentally, situationally. He was our Dad, and we were his sons.” LSU quoted Cordani in its account of the book Everything Matters in Baseball – The Skip Bertman Story.

Beyond his coaching achievements, Bertman transformed how college baseball was marketed and experienced. He regularly packed the original Alex Box Stadium, turning LSU baseball games into major community events. LSU led the nation in college baseball attendance during each of his final six seasons as coach, helping establish the passionate fan culture that became a defining part of the program.

Bertman's influence was also evident in the way he motivated his players. During the 1989 NCAA regionals, LSU was preparing to face top-ranked Texas A&M, which had lost only five games all season. Bertman reportedly read out the opponents' schedule and compared it with the stronger teams LSU had faced, reminding his players that they were capable of beating the nation's top team. LSU won twice and advanced to the College World Series, while Texas A&M finished the season 58-7.

After retiring from coaching in 2001, Bertman became LSU's athletic director, a position he held until 2008. In that role, he continued to build the university's athletic program, overseeing facility upgrades and the construction of the new Alex Box Stadium. The playing field at the stadium was later named “Skip Bertman Field” in his honor.

Bertman's tenure as athletic director coincided with a period of broad success across LSU sports. In the 2006-07 season, 12 LSU teams finished among the nation's top 25, including the football team at No. 3 and the women's basketball team making its fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. The men's and women's track and field teams each finished No. 2 nationally.

He also played a role in building championship programs by hiring coaches who later won national titles at LSU. According to LSU's official baseball record book, Bertman hired four coaches who went on to win national championships: Les Miles in football, Paul Mainieri in baseball, Dennis Shaver in women's track and field, and Chuck Winstead in men's golf.

His broader administrative legacy included LSU football's 2003 national championship under Nick Saban and the 2007 title under Les Miles. Mainieri later led LSU baseball to the 2009 College World Series championship.

Bertman's legacy was recognized through numerous honors. He was inducted into the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and was also inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He was named National Coach of the Year six times and SEC Coach of the Year seven times.

Before joining LSU, Bertman coached at Miami Beach High School and later served as an assistant coach under Ron Fraser at the University of Miami. He played baseball for Miami from 1958 to 1960 and earned his bachelor's degree from the university in 1961.

Bertman's blueprint at LSU continued to influence the program after his retirement. Paul Mainieri won the 2009 national championship, while Jay Johnson led LSU to national titles in 2023 and 2025.

Bertman was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Sandy, who died in March 2025 at the age of 87, and their daughter, Dr. Lisa Jo Bertman Pate, who died in 2012. He is survived by his daughters Jan, Jodi and Lori, as well as his grandchildren.