Skip Bertman’s Home, Vehicle Damaged By Large Oak Tree From Storm

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

The home and vehicle of legendary former LSU baseball coach and athletic director Skip Bertman were seriously damaged Sunday afternoon by major thunderstorms with lightning and wind gusts up to 40 mph that went through Baton Rouge.

Lightning struck a large oak tree by the back door of the Bertman house and driveway near the kitchen and garage and knocked it down. The tree landed on the garage, caving the roof in, and likely totalled Bertman’s vehicle. The kitchen and the rest of the home were not damaged.

Skip Bertman’s house was damaged by a fallen tree as a result of the bad storm this evening.

Nobody was hurt but the family is asking for assistance and tarps to cover the damage for the time being.#LSU pic.twitter.com/wqosq693M1

— John Eads WAFB-TV (@JohnEadsWAFB) July 5, 2026

Bertman has lived in the large, two-story home in the Riverbend neighborhood near LSU since he left the Miami associate head coach job to become LSU’s head baseball coach in 1983. The streets around Bertman’s home were lined with fallen trees and debris.

“It was very loud and scary,” Bertman, 88, told Tiger Rag Sunday night. “The tree went down at about 3:30 p.m. But we’re doing all right.”

Bertman’s daughters Jodi and Lori stay with him at the home. Bertman’s wife Sandy of 63 years died at age 87 on March 13, 2025. Other family members were also at the home for Fourth of July weekend. No one in the home was harmed.

“The tree hit the car and the garage, and they’re both in bad shape,” Bertman said.

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Neighbors, friends and former players, several of whom live in the same neighborhood, quickly came to Bertman’s aid as they often visit him anyway. First on the scene was Jeramie Moore, a first baseman with the Tigers from 1994-96 who lives in the neighborhood. Patrick Coogan, the ace of the Tigers’ 1997 national championship team who lives a few blocks away, was also there very quickly.

“He’s doing okay,” Coogan said of Bertman. “He was sitting in his recliner watching golf on television.”

Friends and neighbors were sawing off limbs from the garage and car and moving debris.

“The living area of the house wasn’t affected,” Coogan said. “A bunch of people got over there pretty quickly.”

There was a home invasion at the same house in 2014.

The same garage area and other parts of the home were damaged by fire in February of 2004 when Bertman was in his third year as LSU’s athletic director. The fire destroyed some of Bertman’s memorabilia. He had won five national championships as LSU’s baseball coach between 1991-2000 before retiring from coaching after the 2001 season and taking over as athletic director.

Bertman’s first season as LSU coach was 1984, and he had the Tigers in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1986. In all, he reached Omaha 11 times through 2000. Bertman had the sections of the home damaged rebuilt after the fire and plans on doing that again.