Skip Bertman Announced as Speaker for UMiami Baseball Banquet
Oct. 6, 2011
Coral Gables, Fla. – Former LSU head baseball coach Skip Bertman will be this year’s keynote speaker at the annual University of Miami Baseball First Pitch Banquet, as announced Thursday afternoon by UM head coach Jim Morris. The banquet will take place Feb. 10, 2011 at a site to be determined later.
Born J. Stanley “Skip” Bertman, the Miami native played three seasons for the UMiami Hurricanes program from 1958-60 as a catcher and outfielder. He later served as an assistant coach under the legendary Ron Fraser from 1975-83. During that time, he was known for taking raw talent and transforming those young players into professional ball players.
“I’m very excited to have Skip Bertman back as our speaker because he’s a Miami guy,” said Morris. “He was a great player and coach who assisted Ron Fraser in putting Miami on the national map. He was a big part of the first national title in 1982. He has deep roots in our town and our program, and he is an outstanding speaker that will deliver a meaningful message to everyone in the audience.”
In 1983, Bertman accepted the head coaching position at LSU, going on to enjoy great success and winning five national titles (1991, ’93, ’96, ’97, 2000) until retiring in 2001. He would also serve as head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, which captured a bronze medal in Atlanta.
Bertman was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in June 2002, and later inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January 2003. He was a member of the inaugural class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame on July 4, 2006.
In a Baseball America poll published in 1999, Bertman was voted the second-greatest college baseball coach in the 20th Century, trailing Southern California’s Rod Dedeaux – for whom the USC baseball field is named.
Prior to his collegiate coaching days, Bertman served 11 seasons as head baseball coach at Miami Beach High School, winning a state title and collecting two runners-up finishes. He was named Florida High School Coach of the Year three times before accepting the assistant coaching position at UMiami in 1976.
Upon stepping down from baseball at LSU in 2001, Bertman spent six years as the Director of Athletics for the Tigers. Under his direction, LSU enjoyed arguably the greatest athletics year in the history of the institution 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. LSU teams also enjoyed improved grade point averages across all sports.
In 2008, Bertman changed roles to Athletic Director Emeritus where he serves primarily with fundraising for the Tigers. He and his wife, Sandy, have four daughters and four grandchildren.
Bertman earned his B.A. in Health and Physical Education from the University of Miami, later going on to achieve his Master’s Degree from UMiami in 1964.
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