Skip Bertman coached at LSU from 1984 to 2001. He won 870 games and five national titles. What struck me when putting these quotes together is how rarely the wins and the championships were mentioned. It was Skip’s impact on people.
Here are quotes from players, coaches and more after the passing of the legendary coach.
Ben McDonald, RHP – My heart is broken this morning. We have lost Coach Bertman, 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, LSU. As great a coach as 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 one more time.
Ron Polk, Legendary Head Coach Mississippi State and Georgia – I don’t think there was a better rivalry in college baseball at that time than LSU-Mississippi State. Packed houses and I think the biggest honor he gave me was when they were closing down Alex Box Stadium. They started numbering to the last game. Somebody from LSU from would go down the left field line and take a number off. The next number was 25, and we were down there, and Skip asked me if I would be the only non-LSU person to take the number down. I think it was number five. So, I got the honor of getting in a golf cart with Skip and Sandy and went down left field line, right in the of middle of the game and took the number down in front of a big, big crowd.
Eddy Furniss, 1B – Coach Bertman was a giant. He made everyone better. His teams, His opponents. Every time you walk into a new SEC stadium in the SEC, know that Skip had a hand in that. I will miss him.
Lloyd Peaver LHP – Skip Bertman was a visionary, master motivator, and community organizer, that you couldn’t help but root for. He wanted to be the best on the field but also prepared his “boys” for life outside the lines of baseball. Skip will always be a part of LSU’s identity. He will be missed but never forgotten.
Doug Thompson, RHP – The thing he was most proud of is how close he was to so many players 30-40 years later. His favorite thing to do was sit with “his boys” and listen to all of the stories. He was simply the best and much more than a coach! If you bleed purple and gold, you took a gut punch Friday.
Rick Greene, RHP – I say this still to this day. Applies to more than sports, as well. “Humble in victory, gracious in defeat.”
Mike Bianco, C, Ole Miss Head Coach – When asked about Skip Bertman, where do you start? Maybe at the end. He’s the G.O.A.T. From coach to AD to ambassador for college athletics, there are very few, if any, you could even mention in the same breath. He has impacted countless lives. I know I speak for many when I say I would not be where I am today without Coach.
Brad Cresse, C – Skip Bertman was far more than my baseball coach. He was a mentor who taught me how to be a teammate, a leader and a man, and his impact on my life will last forever.
Todd Walker, 2B – Skip and Sandy were such a big part of my life. Skip went from the most intimidating person I’ve ever known to one of the best people I’ve ever known. That’s who he was. His legacy as a coach and mentor is legendary. That’s what he did. Who he was and what he did formed one of the greatest people to walk this earth, and I was blessed to have played for him and known him.
Mike Fontenot, 2B – Coach Bertman was the most influential person in my life other than my dad. Not just for baseball, but for every aspect of life. He was always there for us at LSU and all these years later. I will cherish all the times I got to spend with him truly a legend. Love you, Coach.
Ed Yarnall, LHP – His impact on me as a baseball player was big, but his impact on me as a person was far more, as a son, brother, father and husband, forever grateful to him for that. RIP, Coach.
Blair Barbier, 3B – I would say his true legacy is far less about his many accomplishments and much more about the deep personal impact he had on so many. He will always be with us.
Trey McClure, 3B – If it is to be, it is up to me.
I’m going to play my best nine players not my nine best players.
Anything you can vividly imagine, ardently desire, enthusiastically act upon must absolutely come to pass.
You play for your father, mother, your maker, LSU tigers tonight, let’s play like champions.
Warren Morris, 2B – Coach Bertman is someone who is so influential in my life and many others. As a player at LSU, I always felt like we had a huge advantage because he was in our dugout calling the shots and the other team didn’t have that same expertise. He taught us how to win in baseball and in life. He’ll forever be remembered, and his impact will live on. There is only one Skip Bertman! I’m blessed to have known him,.
Chris Demouy, LHP – His ability to create a bond within a team was unmatched. The closest friends I have to this day, 30 years later, are due to LSU baseball and the environment Skip created. The trust, the belief, the love for your teammates through the ups and downs in a season was all created and formed due to his coaching style. And that bond remains to this day. I’ve never experienced it anywhere else.
Ray Wright, OF – I’m so blessed to have been a small part of the juggernaut that Skip Bertman built. Skip changed my life. He taught me lessons that I still carry with me and pass on to others today. I’ll never forget getting on the bus after we won the natty in Omaha and Skip greeting each of us personally “National Champion Ray Wright.” It was an incredible feeling, but more than that, it put into perspective what we had just accomplished. That was Skip. He made everyone around him believe they could accomplish something special. RIP Skip. There will never be another.
Patrick Coogan, RHP – Of course the baseball counted, but it was more than that. He was someone I looked up to, a father figure, a friend, a mentor and someone who’d call you in the moment you needed to hear from him most. He created a culture, one of dreaming, aspirations, hard work, fun, brotherhood, love and yes, winning.
For me, his impact spans three generations, my dad, myself and my three sons. We are all fortunate that God blessed us with Skip Bertman. I love you, Coach.
Paul Mainieri, former LSU Head Coach – I’ll never forget that when the word got out that LSU had reached out to me, when I was up at Notre Dame, I had people saying to me, why would you want to go there? Skip is such a dominating figure. He has such proprietorship over the baseball program. He’s not going to let you be the coach. And I said, “That’s not true. Skip Bertman is the reason I would want to take the job at LSU. Because I could have another mentor and another person I could continue to learn from.” Working for Skip as his baseball coach, he never interfered, always offered encouragement, positive advice, and he instilled a greater level of self-confidence in myself because I knew that I was the guy he wanted and believed in.
Justin Hill RHP, McNeese Head Coach – I can still remember him taking the time to meet with me and my dad after a game in the first base dugout of the old Alex Box. It was there that I committed to playing for him. My only ask was for him time give me chance to prove myself. He was a man of his word. He coached me hard, treated me with respect and let my play not my walk on status determine my opportunities.
Bill Franques, Sports Information Director – I’ve spent the entire morning thinking about how remarkable it is that one man could make such a significant impact upon so many lives. His standard of excellence set LSU athletics on the course to becoming the global powerhouse it is today.
