Skip Bertman, the legendary Louisiana State University baseball coach who guided the Tigers to five national championships, has died at the age of 88.
Louisiana State University announced his death on Friday. The school did not reveal an official cause of death, but LSU Athletics informed television station WBRZ that Bertman was recently hospitalized for heart-related issues.
Bertman spent 18 seasons as head coach of the Tigers in Baton Rouge, establishing Louisiana State University as a college baseball powerhouse. He guided the team to 11 College World Series appearances in Omaha, Nebraska, and won NCAA national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.
Championship Success in Baton Rouge
Bertman took over the LSU program in 1983 and quickly built a winning tradition. Under his leadership, the Tigers claimed seven Southeastern Conference championships alongside their five national titles.
He retired from coaching with a career record of 870 wins, 330 losses and 3 ties. His success earned him Baseball America Coach of the Year honors twice, alongside five Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year awards.
Beyond college baseball, Bertman served on the coaching staff for USA Baseball. He helped guide the United States team to an Olympic gold medal as an assistant coach in 1992, and later led the national team to a bronze medal as head coach at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.
Early Coaching Career and the Grand Illusion
A native of South Florida, Bertman played college baseball at the University of Miami. He joined the Hurricanes program one year after Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx was fired as head coach.
After earning a master's degree in health and physical education, Bertman spent 11 seasons coaching baseball at his former high school.
He returned to the University of Miami as an assistant coach in 1982. That year, Miami won the College World Series after defeating the University of Texas and their young pitcher Roger Clemens.
During his stint at Miami, Bertman orchestrated a famous trick play against Wichita State known as the Grand Illusion. The phantom pickoff play tricked a runner into getting tagged out at second base. Head coach Ron Fraser once said of the play, "We made it look so good, you'd want to eat it."
Developing Major League Talent
During his coaching career, Bertman developed 41 players who reached Major League Baseball. His top players included retired Cleveland Indians slugger Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Paul Byrd, Russ Springer and Ben McDonald.
McDonald won the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's top amateur player before being selected first overall in the 1989 MLB Draft ahead of Hall of Famer Frank Thomas.
McDonald, now an ESPN college baseball analyst, paid tribute to his former coach on social media on Friday morning. "My heart is broken this morning....we have lost Coach Bertman," McDonald wrote on his X account. "The best to ever fill out a lineup card....the man who changed college baseball forever and the man who built the best baseball program in the country."
McDonald added: "As great a coach he was, even a better man that touched countless lives! So thankful I got to see him last night and tell him how much I loved him 1 more time!"
Athletic Director Role and Legacy
Bertman transitioned to athletic director at LSU in 2001. In that role, he hired head football coaches Nick Saban and Les Miles, both of whom would lead the school to national championships.
LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry praised Bertman's lasting impact on the institution in a statement released Friday. "Few people have had a greater impact on LSU than Skip Bertman," Ausberry said. "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. Personally, he was a dear friend, mentor and advisor, and I'm forever grateful for the trust and faith he placed in me to serve this institution."
Ausberry added: "I will continue to honor Skip by leaning into the lessons he taught me every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones at this time."
Bertman was preceded in death by his wife, Sandy, who died in 2025, and his daughter Lisa Jo Pate. He is survived by his daughters Jan and Jodi, as well as four grandchildren.
