Eddie Sutton facts for kids
Sutton as Creighton head coach circa 1970.
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 12, 1936 Bucklin, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 2020 (aged 84) Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1955–1958 | Oklahoma State |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1958–1959 | Oklahoma State (assistant) |
| 1959–1966 | Tulsa Central HS |
| 1966–1969 | College of Southern Idaho |
| 1969–1974 | Creighton |
| 1974–1985 | Arkansas |
| 1985–1989 | Kentucky |
| 1990–2006 | Oklahoma State |
| 2007–2008 | San Francisco (interim) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 806–326 (college) 84–14 (junior college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 NCAA Division I Regional – Final Four (1978, 1995, 2004) 5 SWC regular season (1977–1979, 1981, 1982) 3 SWC tournament (1977, 1979, 1982) SEC regular season (1986) SEC tournament (1986) 2 Big Eight regular season (1992, 1995) Big Eight tournament (1995) Big 12 regular season (2004) 2 Big 12 tournament (2004, 2005) |
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| Awards | |
| 2× AP College Coach of the Year (1978, 1986) NABC Coach of the Year (1986) Henry Iba Award (1977) 4× SWC Coach of the Year (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981) SEC Coach of the Year (1986) Big Eight Coach of the Year (1993) 2× Big 12 Coach of the Year (1998, 2004) |
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| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2020 |
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| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2011 |
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Edward Eugene Sutton (born March 12, 1936 – died May 23, 2020) was a famous American college basketball coach. He was born in Bucklin, Kansas. Sutton played college basketball at Oklahoma A&M (which later became Oklahoma State). He coached basketball at high school, junior college, and college levels for over 50 years.
Sutton started his coaching career as an assistant at Oklahoma State. He then became a successful head coach at Tulsa Central High School and the College of Southern Idaho. In 1969, Sutton began coaching at the NCAA level for Creighton University. He then coached at Arkansas (1974–1985), Kentucky (1985–1989), and Oklahoma State (1990–2006). For a short time in 2007–08, Sutton was the temporary head coach at San Francisco.
Eddie Sutton is one of only eight NCAA Division I coaches to win more than 800 games in his career. His teams went to the NCAA Tournament almost every year from 1977 to 2005. Sutton was honored by being inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
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Early Life and Education
Sutton was born in Bucklin, Kansas. After finishing high school in 1954, he went to Oklahoma A&M College. This school later changed its name to Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in 1957. At Oklahoma A&M/State, Sutton played as a guard for the Cowboys basketball team. He played from 1955 to 1958 under coach Henry Iba.
In his junior year (1956–57), Sutton was the best on his team at making free throws. He made 84.3% of them. As a senior in 1957–58, he scored about 8.3 points per game. His team also made it to the NCAA tournament that year. Sutton earned his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State in 1958.
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting His Coaching Journey (1958–1969)
Eddie Sutton began coaching as an assistant for Coach Iba at Oklahoma State in 1958–59. He finished his master's degree in 1959. From 1959 to 1966, Sutton was the head basketball coach at Tulsa Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His team had a great record of 119 wins and 51 losses.
Next, he moved to junior college coaching. Sutton became the first head coach at the College of Southern Idaho from 1966 to 1969. There, his teams won 83 games and lost only 14.
Leading Creighton to Success (1969–1974)
From 1969 to 1974, Sutton coached at Creighton University. When he arrived, the Bluejays had been losing for three years. Sutton quickly turned things around. He led them to five winning seasons in a row. In the 1973–74 season, his team had a 23–7 record and made it to the NCAA tournament.
Arkansas' Golden Era (1974–1985)
In 1974, Sutton became the head coach at the University of Arkansas. The Arkansas Razorbacks had struggled before he came. They had losing records in three of the last four seasons and hadn't been to a postseason tournament since 1958.
Sutton's time at Arkansas was very successful. He led the team to 260 wins and only 75 losses from 1974 to 1985. His teams won five Southwest Conference championships. They also made nine NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1978, they even reached the Final Four.
Because of his success, Arkansas made their home basketball arena, Barnhill Arena, much bigger. Sutton also coached three amazing players from Arkansas. They were known as "The Triplets": Ron Brewer, Marvin Delph, and Sidney Moncrief.
On February 12, 1984, Arkansas had an exciting 65–64 win. They beat the undefeated, number one team, North Carolina. That North Carolina team had future NBA stars like Michael Jordan. Arkansas finished that season with a 23–7 record and was ranked number 8. Even though they were a high seed in the NCAA tournament, they lost a close game in overtime. In Sutton's last season at Arkansas (1984–85), the team went 22–13 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Challenges at Kentucky (1985–1989)
On April 2, 1985, the University of Kentucky hired Sutton to coach the Kentucky Wildcats. He coached the Wildcats for four years. In 1986, he led them to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. Two seasons later, the Wildcats won their conference title and were ranked number 6 nationally. However, they were upset in the 1988 NCAA tournament.
Sutton's time at Kentucky ended after the 1988–89 season. The team faced challenges, including losing many talented players. The Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13-19, which was unusual for the team. The NCAA investigated the basketball program and found that the school had broken some rules. Because of these issues, Sutton resigned. The Wildcats faced penalties, including not being allowed to play in postseason tournaments for two years.
Returning Home to Oklahoma State (1990–2006)
After a year away from coaching, Sutton returned to his old school, Oklahoma State, on April 11, 1990. The basketball program had been struggling. Since joining the Big Eight Conference in 1957, Oklahoma State had only been to three NCAA Tournaments.
In his first season back, Sutton led the Cowboys to a 24–8 record. They won the Big Eight regular season title and reached the Sweet 16 in the 1991 NCAA tournament. The next season (1991–92), Oklahoma State improved to 28–8 and made it to the Sweet 16 again. They also went to the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1994.
In Sutton's fifth season, the 1994–95 Oklahoma State team was very strong. Led by players like Bryant Reeves (also known as "Big Country"), they won the Big Eight tournament. They then advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1951. After this successful season, many felt that pride had returned to Oklahoma State basketball.
Sutton continued to coach Oklahoma State when the school moved to the Big 12 Conference in 1996.
Oklahoma State's best season under Sutton was in 2003–04. The team had a fantastic 31–4 record, which tied the school record for wins. They won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles. They also reached the Final Four for the second time under Sutton. This team included Tony Allen, who later became a successful NBA player.
On January 15, 2005, the basketball court at Oklahoma State's home arena, Gallagher-Iba Arena, was officially named Eddie Sutton Court in his honor.
On February 10, 2006, Sutton was in a car accident. He announced on February 14 that he would take a break from coaching due to health reasons and the accident. His son, Sean Sutton, took over as acting head coach for the rest of the season.
Eddie Sutton officially resigned as head coach on May 19, 2006. His son Sean became the new head coach. In 16 seasons at Oklahoma State, Sutton had an amazing record of 368 wins and 151 losses. His teams made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, won two regular season conference titles, and three conference tournament titles.
Brief Stint at San Francisco (2007–2008)
On December 26, 2007, Sutton came out of retirement. He became the temporary head coach at the University of San Francisco.
On February 2, 2008, Sutton reached a major milestone. He became the fifth NCAA Division I men's basketball coach to get 800 career wins. This happened when San Francisco came back from a 19-point deficit to beat Pepperdine 85–82. San Francisco finished the season with a 10–21 record overall. Sutton coached for 6 wins and 13 losses during his time there. After the season, San Francisco hired a new head coach.
Overall Coaching Record
Eddie Sutton had an impressive coaching career.
- At the junior college level (College of Southern Idaho), his record was 84 wins and 14 losses.
- At the college level, his overall record was 806 wins and 326 losses.
- He led his teams to three NCAA Division I Final Four appearances (1978, 1995, 2004).
- He won many conference regular season and tournament championships across different conferences like the Southwest Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big Eight, and Big 12.
Personal Life
Eddie Sutton was married to Patsy Wright from 1958 until she passed away in 2013. They had three children and six grandchildren. Two of Sutton's children became college basketball coaches.
Sean Sutton coached at Oklahoma State for 15 seasons. He was an assistant under his father and then head coach. Later, he was an assistant at Oral Roberts University and an advisor at Texas Tech. Scott Sutton played for Oklahoma State. He was then the head coach at Oral Roberts and has been an assistant coach at Oklahoma State since 2017.
Eddie Sutton lived in southern Tulsa, Oklahoma in his later years. He passed away in Tulsa on May 23, 2020, at the age of 84.
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Sutton para niños
