Legendary coach Eddie Sutton finally going into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
STILLWATER, Okla. (BVM) — The late Eddie Sutton was the fifth college basketball coach to eclipse the 800-win mark. Filled with gusto and the joy for the game, Sutton brought life to a handful of basketball programs. College basketball has seen its fair share of legendary coaches, but the 2020 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee will be remembered as one of the game’s greatest gurus.
As a player, Sutton attended Oklahoma A&M — which is known today as Oklahoma State University. For years, Sutton was a member of the Cowboys basketball team. As a junior at OSU, Sutton shot 84% from the free throw line. As a senior, he averaged 8.3 points and the Cowboys qualified for the 1958 NCAA Tournament.
Sutton’s coaching career began right after he graduated from college. After one season as a graduate assistant at OSU, he took a coaching job at Tulsa Central High School. At Tulsa Central, Sutton racked up 119 wins while only losing 51 games. After seven years at the high school level, he moved up to junior college. He was the first coach at the College of Southern Idaho where he coached for three years and finished with an 83-14 record.
After a quick rise to the college ranks, Sutton took over the Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball program. Before taking over, the Bluejays had three consecutive losing seasons. In his five-year tenure, Sutton never had a losing season. In his final campaign at Creighton, the team finished with a 23-7 record and participated in the 1974 NCAA Tournament.
When the 1974-75 season rolled around, Sutton took over the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball program. Before Sutton took over, the program hadn’t had a postseason appearance since 1958. Sutton would make waves in the college baseball scene while at Arkansas. In 11 seasons, he compiled 260 wins. His teams won five Southwest Conference regular season titles, appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments and made one Final Four appearance.
In his fourth year at Arkansas, Sutton coached one of the best trios the sport has ever seen. Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph, and Sidney Moncrief took Arkansas by storm. The trio became known as “The Triplets.” With a 32-4 overall record, that team made it to the national semifinals where they would lose to the eventual national champion Kentucky Wildcats.
Sutton led Arkansas to another successful year in 1984. In February of that season, the Razorbacks upset the North Carolina Tar Heels, who at the time were ranked No. 1 and led by Michael Jordan. Sutton’s team finished No. 8 in the county and received a No. 2 ranking for the NCAA Tournament. With spirits high, the Razorbacks felt like they could make a run at the title. It would not come to be as they would be upset by Virginia in overtime. Sutton would leave Arkansas after the following season.
In a 2014 interview with Razorback Nation, Sutton had this to say about his time at Arkansas, “I look back and I have nothing but pleasant memories. Boy we had some good times.”
Following his success at Arkansas, Sutton looked to assert his dominance in the SEC. Sutton took over as Kentucky’s head men’s basketball coach. In his first year, he led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. In 1987, Sutton’s third year as head coach, Kentucky captured its 37th SEC title. The Wildcats were the No. 2-ranked team and were upset by Villanova in the Southeast regional semifinal game.
Coaching at Kentucky can be a strenuous job. Sutton found this out first hand during the early years of his tenure. When interviewed for the 1577 Productions documentary film “EDDIE: The Costs of Greatness,” current Kentucky head coach John Calipari had this to say about the Kentucky gig, “This is like a coat you wear. It’s 100 degrees and you got the coat on.”
The next season would be Sutton’s last. One of Kentucky’s players played a whole season while being ineligible. The squad finished the season with a 12-19 record. It was the program’s first losing season since 1925. The NCAA also found out that one of the players cheated on the college entrance exam and recruiters were paid a substantial amount of money.
Former OSU guard Doug Gottlieb said in the documentary, “It’s awful that we judge him, based on one to two moments.”
After Sutton resigned from Kentucky, his alma mater was there waiting with open arms. Hired in 1990, Sutton was back in the Big Eight Conference. Oklahoma State had only been to three NCAA Tournaments since the school joined the conference in 1957. In his first season, the Cowboys finished with a 24-8 record and won the Big Eight regular season title. The following season, the team improved its record to 28-8 and made a second straight Sweet 16 appearance.
Following two more NCAA Tournament appearances in 1993 and 1994, the Cowboys would make a significant run in the “Big Dance.” Led by Bryant “Big Country” Reeves and Randy Rutherford they won the Big Eight tournament and were given a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. OSU marched its way to its first Final Four appearance since 1951. On their way to the Final Four, the Cowboys defeated No. 1 seed Wake Forest, which was led by future Hall of Fame big man Tim Duncan. The magical run would end when they matched up against eventual national champions UCLA.
Following the school’s move to the Big 12 in the 1996 season, the Cowboys’ success continued. The best season OSU had under Sutton was the 2003-04 season. The team finished with a 31-4 record, which tied the school overall record for wins. Sutton’s squad also won the Big 12 regular season title and the tournament title. The Cowboys made their way to the Final Four once again where they faced No. 3-seeded Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ended another special Cowboy season.
Following a 26-7 finish in 2005, the Cowboys won their second straight Big 12 Tournament and earned a No. 2 seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament. OSU made another Sweet 16 appearance, but that was as far as the Cowboys would make it after the Arizona Wildcats hit a shot at the buzzer to send them packing.
Sutton resigned from head coaching duties at Oklahoma State following few health complications in 2006. In his 16 seasons, Sutton had a 369-151 record. He led the Cowboys to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, three conference tournament titles, and two regular season conference titles.
Almost a year after leaving Oklahoma State, Sutton was called out of retirement. He replaced Jessie Evans at the University of San Francisco. With the Dons, Sutton eclipsed the 800-win mark. At the time, he was the fifth NCAA Division I men’s basketball coach to achieve that accomplishment. Sutton’s final overall record as a head coach is 806-326.
One of Sutton’s former players, Rex Chapman, said in the documentary, “Nobody in the history of the game has taught one-on-one defense like Eddie Sutton.”
Kansas head coach Bill Self said in the documentary, “There is no question he is Hall of Fame coach.”
In April, Eddie Sutton was named a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020. He passed away on May 23 of natural causes at 84. Sutton will be enshrined posthumously on Aug. 29. in Springfield, Mass.
