#0 Skip Bertman Season 2007-08
A Louisiana Legend and one of the greatest college baseball coaches of all time, J. Stanley “Skip” Bertman has made the seamless transition into the athletics director’s chair with the same enthusiasm, vision and demand for excellence that were trademarks of his stellar coaching career.
The 2007-08 season will mark Bertman’s final year as LSU athletics director. After his tenure ends on June 30, 2008, he will remain at LSU as athletics director emeritus through 2010, working as a vital fund-raiser for the university.
In six years as LSU’s director of athletics, Bertman has added to his impressive list of on-the-field achievements. Under his direction, LSU has enjoyed arguably the greatest athletics seasons in the history of the institution.
The 2006-07 season saw 12 LSU teams finish among the nation’s top 25, including a No. 3 final ranking for the football team and a fourth consecutive Final Four appearance by the women’s basketball squad. The LSU men’s and women’s track and field teams each finished No. 2 in the nation.
In 2005-06, LSU joined North Carolina (1997-98) as the only schools to have their football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams all finish in the nation’s Top 5.
LSU in 2005-06 also became the first school in SEC history to win outright league championships in men’s and women’s basketball in the same season.
In 2004-05, 14 LSU teams advanced to the post-season, and in 2003-04, three teams won national championships, nine teams finished in the nation’s top 10, and 14 teams ranked in the top 25.
Under Bertman’s direction, LSU teams have also recorded improved grade point averages across the board, making the student-athlete experience a success on and off the fields of competition.
While supervising the Tigers’ progress on the playing fields, he has implemented measures necessary to realize his vision of building the LSU athletics department into the best in the country. Bertman’s bold and innovative plans promise to keep the Tigers among the nation’s elite in all phases of collegiate athletics.
Bertman is now in the midst of upgrading LSU’s athletics complex, as he took the bold but essential move to implement a seat contribution program in Tiger Stadium to fund facility improvements and ensure the financial stability of the LSU Athletics Department for the next decade.
Working hand in hand with the Tiger Athletic Foundation, Bertman has already overseen the completion of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes, the renovation of Tiger Stadium and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, and the construction of the Football Operations Center.
In addition, state-of-the-art baseball and softball stadiums are scheduled to be constructed by the fall of 2008, and a basketball practice facility will be in place by 2009.
Bertman was named LSU’s athletics director on January 19, 2001. With Bertman, LSU gained an athletics director who provides the leadership and experience necessary to manage the Tigers’ budget of over $50 million.
Bertman guided LSU to five NCAA baseball titles during his 18-year coaching tenure (1984-2001), and his teams drew huge crowds to venerable Alex Box Stadium, as the Tigers led the nation in attendance in each of his final six seasons.
He also served as head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team which captured the bronze medal in Atlanta.
Bertman continues to be honored for his remarkable coaching tenure, as he was inducted in June, 2006 into the new College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the hall’s inaugural class. He has also been induced into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
In a Baseball Americapoll published in 1999, Bertman was voted the second greatest college baseball coach of the 20th century, trailing only Rod Dedeaux of Southern California. Bertman, Dedeaux and Augie Garrido of Texas are the only coaches to win five CWS titles.
Bertman had previously earned recognition as one of the nation’s brightest assistant coaches while at the University of Miami (Fla.) for eight seasons (1976-83).
Before working at Miami, Bertman was renowned for his coaching excellence. In 11 seasons at Miami Beach High School, he directed the Hi-Tides to a state championship and two runners-up finishes and he was named Florida’s Coach of the Year on three occasions.
In 1975, Bertman coached at Miami-Dade Downtown, leaving after one season to join legendary head coach Ron Fraser at Miami. The move was a homecoming of sorts, as Bertman spent his collegiate playing days with the Hurricanes as an outfielder and catcher from 1958-60. He earned his B.A. in health and physical education from Miami in 1961 and received his master’s degree from UM in 1964.
Bertman and his wife Sandy are the parents of four daughters – Jan, Jodi, Lisa and Lori. The Bertmans have four grandchildren – Sophie Faith and Isaac Stanley, the children of Emile and Lori Bertman Guirard; and Samuel Aaron and Ezra Michael, the sons of Drew and Lisa Bertman Pate.
The Bertman Legacy
Bertman’s unyielding desire to succeed drove him to the pinnacle of his profession, and his astute knowledge of the game — obtained from over 40 years of coaching — combined with his steadfast determination and irrepressible enthusiasm transformed LSU Baseball into the nation’s premier program. Bertman has been inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
National Championships
2000, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1991
SEC Championships
1997, 1996, 1993, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1986
Career Record (1984-2001)
870-330-3 (.724)
NCAA Tournament Record
89-29 (.754), highest winning percentage in NCAA history
National Coach of the Year
2000, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1991, 1986
College World Series Appearances
2000, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1993, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1987, 1986