.jpg) Bertman as a football player atMiami Beach High School | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1938-05-23)May 23, 1938 (age 87) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1958–1960 | Miami (FL) |
| Positions | Outfielder,catcher |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1965–1975 | Miami Beach HS (FL) |
| 1976–1983 | Miami (FL) (associate head coach/recruiting coordinator/pitching coach) |
| 1984–2001 | LSU |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2001–2008 | LSU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 870–330–3 |
| Tournaments | 89–29 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 5×College World Series (1991,1993,1996,1997,2000) 7×SEC (1986, 1990–1993, 1996, 1997) | |
| Awards | |
| 2×Baseball America Coach of the Year (1986, 1996) 5×Collegiate Baseball Coach of the Year (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000) 7×SEC Coach of the Year (1986, 1990–1993, 1996, 1997) | |
| College Baseball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Stanley "Skip"Bertman (born May 23, 1938) is an American former college baseball coach and athletic director atLouisiana State University (LSU). He led theLSU Tigers baseball team to fiveCollege World Series championships and sevenSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championships in 18 years as head coach. He amassed 870 wins, 330 losses, and three ties for a .724 winning percentage. His .754 winning percentage inNCAA baseball tournament competition is the highest among head coaches in college baseball history.
Bertman spent his collegiate playing days as an outfielder and catcher at theUniversity of Miami, inCoral Gables, Florida, from 1958–1960. While a player at Miami, Bertman earned his B.A. in health and physical education. He later received his master's degree from Miami in 1964.[1]
In 11 seasons as head baseball coach atMiami Beach High School, Bertman's team won a state championship and was state runner-up twice. Bertman was named Florida High School Coach of the Year three times. Based in part on these coaching credentials, Bertman went on to work as recruiting coordinator, pitching coach and associate head coach at theUniversity of Miami for eight seasons (1976–1983) underRon Fraser. During this time, the Hurricanes won the national championship in 1982. In that1982 College World Series, Bertman orchestrated one of the most famous plays in college baseball history—a phantompickoff play known as the "Grand Illusion" which resulted inWichita State'sPhil Stephenson being thrown out at second base.[2][3][4]
Bertman was hired by athletic director Bob Brodhead to coach LSU in 1984, and he transformed LSU into a baseball powerhouse, guiding the Tigers to 16 NCAA tournament appearances, 11 College World Series appearances, sevenSoutheastern Conference (SEC) championships, and five NCAA baseball national championships in 18 seasons. LSU won its first two College World Series titles in 1991 and 1993, each time defeating Wichita State in the championship game. In 1996, LSU defeated Bertman's alma mater Miami for its third national title. Its fourth title came in 1997 with a 13–6 victory overAlabama in an all-SEC championship final. LSU defeatedStanford in the 2000 championship game for Bertman's fifth and final CWS title.[4]
While at LSU, Bertman was honored as theCollegiate Baseball Coach of the Year five times,Baseball America Coach of the Year twice, and theSEC Coach of the Year seven times, including four straight from 1990 to 1993. Bertman's teams also drew large crowds to LSU'sAlex Box Stadium, as the Tigers led the nation in collegiate baseball attendance in each of his final six seasons (1996–2001).[5]
Bertman served as an assistant coach for theUnited States national baseball team which finished in first place at the1988 Summer Olympics, where baseball was ademonstration sport. He then served as head coach of the national team in 1995 and 1996,[6] which captured the bronze medal in the1996 Summer Olympics by defeatingNicaragua, 10–3.[7]
Bertman was named LSU's athletics director on January 19, 2001, responsible for an athletic budget of $52 million. He succeededJoe Dean, a former Tiger basketball standout who held the position for 14 years.
On June 4, 2006, Bertman' successor as LSU's baseball coach,Raymond "Smoke" Laval resigned after the Tigers went 35–24 overall and 13–17 in the SEC, failing to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988. Laval led the Tigers to the College World Series in 2003 and 2004, but tailed off in his final two seasons, losing the 2005 regional championship game at home to Rice.
Bertman speculated that he would consider a return to the dugout if he could not find a suitable candidate to replace Laval after the 2006 season, but the job was eventually given toNotre Dame coachPaul Mainieri.[8] Mainieri led the Tigers to the 2009College World Series championship, the sixth baseball national championship in school history and the first not won with Bertman as head coach.
Bertman presided over two football national championship seasons as athletic director. The Tigers won the 2003 BCS championship under coachNick Saban. When Saban left at the end of the 2004 season to coach theMiami Dolphins of theNational Football League, Bertman moved quickly to hireOklahoma State coachLes Miles. Miles led LSU to a consensus national championship in 2007.
Other success in Bertman's tenure included five consecutive trips to the NCAA women's basketball Final Four (2004–2008) under four different coaches, an appearance in the men's basketball Final Four in 2006, a trip to the Women's College World Series in softball in 2004, and six NCAA outdoor track championships (three men's and three women's).
The LSU Board of Supervisors approved Bertman's three-year contract extension. Bertman's new extension, which was approved without discussion, called for him to be paid $425,000 annually beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2010.[9] Bertman, who served as Athletic Director since leaving his coaching position after the 2001 baseball season, stepped down in 2008 to become athletic director emeritus as dictated by his contract. As athletic director emeritus, Bertman's role primarily involves fundraising.[10]
Bertman was inducted into theUniversity of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1994.[12] He was inducted into theLouisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and theLSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.[12] He was elected to theAmerican Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003, and was a member of the inaugural class of theCollege Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. In aBaseball America poll published in 1999, Bertman was voted the second greatest college baseball coach of the 20th century, behindRod Dedeaux ofUSC.[13]
In 2001, the section of South Stadium Drive between River Road and Nicholson Drive—site of the original Alex Box Stadium—was renamed Skip Bertman Drive.[4] Bertman's No. 15 jersey was alsoretired by the LSU baseball team.[12] On May 17, 2013, during apre-game ceremony that also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Bertman's 1993 National Championship team, the field at Alex Box Stadium was officially dedicated "Skip Bertman Field." The stadium itself was renamed toAlex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field.[14]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LSU Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1984–2001) | |||||||||
| 1984 | LSU | 32–23 | 12–12 | 3rd | |||||
| 1985 | LSU | 41–18 | 17–7 | T–1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1986 | LSU | 55–14 | 22–5 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1987 | LSU | 49–19 | 12–10 | 5th | College World Series | ||||
| 1988 | LSU | 39–21 | 16–11 | 5th | |||||
| 1989 | LSU | 55–17 | 18–9 | 2nd | College World Series | ||||
| 1990 | LSU | 54–19 | 20–7 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1991 | LSU | 55–18 | 19–7 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1992 | LSU | 50–16 | 18–6 | 1st | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1993 | LSU | 53–17–1 | 18–8–1 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1994 | LSU | 46–20 | 21–6 | 2nd | College World Series | ||||
| 1995 | LSU | 47–18 | 17–12 | 5th | NCAA Regional | ||||
| 1996 | LSU | 52–15 | 20–10 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1997 | LSU | 57–13 | 22–7 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1998 | LSU | 48–19 | 21–9 | 2nd | College World Series | ||||
| 1999 | LSU | 41–24–1 | 18–11–1 | 3rd | Super Regional | ||||
| 2000 | LSU | 52–17 | 19–10 | 2nd | College World Series | ||||
| 2001 | LSU | 44–22–1 | 18–12 | 2nd | Super Regional | ||||
| LSU: | 870–330–3 (.724) | 328–159–2 (.673) | |||||||
| Total: | 870–330–3 (.724) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||