BATON ROUGE — Skip Bertman’s statue will finally be unveiled this week.
LSU announced Monday that a statue of the school’s legendary baseball coach and director of athletics will be unveiled at 6 p.m. on Friday. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will take place near the home plate entrance of Alex Box Stadium.
“This is more than a monument to Skip’s unparalleled achievements on the field,” said LSU Director of Athletics Scott Woodward. “This is recognition of a man who has committed his life to making the lives of those around him richer than they might otherwise be. His contributions to thousands of people, including myself, as a mentor, leader and friend will live on for generations.”
The Skip Bertman Statue, which will serve as the centerpiece of the newly constructed Legacy Plaza, will commemorate the achievements of Bertman who served as LSU’s baseball coach from 1984-2001.
Under Bertman’s guidance, LSU claimed five National Championships (1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000), made 11 trips to the College World Series, won seven Southeastern Conference Championships, and 31 Tigers would go on to play in Major League Baseball.
Bertman is also one of only three coaches in NCAA history to win five baseball national titles, his .724 winning percentage remains the highest in SEC history, was named National Coach of the Year six times (1986, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000).
In May of 2013, the playing surface at Alex Box Stadium was named “Skip Bertman Field.”
After retiring from coaching, Bertman served as LSU’s director of athletics from 2001-08, presiding over the Tigers’ football National Championship seasons in both 2003 and 2007.
The Skip Bertman Statue has been in the works for years.
Back in May of 2016, the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee unanimously approved a proposal that a statue honoring Bertman be erected on campus.
The Skip Bertman Statue and Legacy Plaza were made possible through donations made to the Tiger Athletic Foundation.