LSU’s celebration of Skip Bertman’s life will be held in the PMAC tonight at 7 p.m. The event honoring the Louisiana legend who passed away at the age of 88 earlier this month is open to the public. Doors open at 6 p.m., with general admission seating around the upper bowl available. Doug Thompson, one of Bertman’s national champion pitchers, says it is a great opportunity to celebrate an icon.
“If you want to show your respect for Skip Bertman; what he built with all his championships which is, of course, completely secondary to who the man was as a human being; August 25th is the night to do it,” Thompson said.
The ceremony will also be broadcast on ESPN+ and the SEC Network. Thompson says LSU fans are known for showing up for their teams, and he hopes that the PMAC is bursting at the seams with Tiger fans honoring Bertman.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for our community, for our school, to show the rest of the world how we do it here; it’s why we’re so unique,” Thompson noted.
A private ceremony will be held with former players, staff and family members. Thompson says grieving Bertman’s passing has been hard, but it is important to come together to celebrate him because the relationships he formed and lives he touched were what he was most proud of.
“If he were to brag about anything, it would never be 87o wins or five national championships. It would be the relationship he had with his boys,” Thompson said.
Governor Jeff Landry ordered flags around the state to be flown at half-mast in Bertman’s honor.
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