Coach Skip Bertman Original Airdate: August 29, 1997

In his 14 seasons at LSU, Coach Skip Bertman has brought the university's baseball program to the stature of legend. His 684-248-1 record gives him a winning percentage of .734, making him the university's all-time winningest coach, and the four national championships to which he has guided the Tigers (1991, '93, '96 and '97) have established LSU as the premier college baseball program in the country. Throughout his years at the university, however, Bertman has not only striven to improve Tiger Baseball to the peak of its highest potential, but has also endeavored to create a wholesome entertainment experience for the hundreds of thousands of fans who attend the games yearly.

Bertman set out on the path to coaching excellence at the University of Miami (Fla.), where he earned his undergraduate degree in health and physical education and received his master's degree in 1964. He returned to Miami as an assistant coach from 1976-83, and came to Baton Rouge and LSU in 1984, taking on the head coaching position which he occupies to this day. In his fourteen years at LSU, he has coached over 80 players who have gone on to sign professional contracts, and has been named National Coach of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Magazine an unprecedented four times. Under his guidance, the Tigers have won the Southeastern Conference numerous times and are only the fourth school in history to win four college baseball national championships.

At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Bertman guided Team USA to a bronze medal victory over Nicaragua, an achievement made more impressive by the 71-11 record the team amassed during the summers of 1995 and '96.

One of his most impressive statistics, however, may be the graduation rate registered by his players. Of the athletes who have played four years at LSU, nearly 100 percent have received their degree from the university. Bertman also passes on his knowledge of baseball through summer camps and clinics, which, like his programs, are considered among the top in the country.