Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at
CreightonCreighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
,
ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
,
KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Oklahoma State (his alma mater), and the
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
. Sutton became the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA tournament, and he reached the Final Four with Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State in 1995 and 2004. He is one of only eight major
collegeCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
men's
basketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coaches to have over 800 career wins.
Early years
Eddie Sutton was born in
Bucklin, KansasBucklin is a city in Ford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 794.-Geography:Bucklin is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 725 people,...
. He played for Oklahoma State (known as Oklahoma A&M until his senior year of 1957–1958) under legendary coach
Henry IbaHenry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American basketball and baseball coach.-Early life:Iba was born and raised in Easton, Missouri...
. While at Oklahoma A&M Sutton became a member of
Sigma ChiSigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity.
In his college coaching career, Sutton was the head coach of
CreightonCreighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
,
ArkansasThe University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
,
KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Oklahoma State,and
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
. He has the rare distinction of having taken two schools (Arkansas and Oklahoma State) to the
Final FourFinal Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
, and was the first coach to lead four schools to the
NCAA tournamentThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
.
Sutton's college coaching career began in 1967 in
Twin Falls, IdahoTwin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, where he founded the men's basketball program at the
College of Southern IdahoCollege of Southern Idaho is an American public community college. Its main campus is in Twin Falls, Idaho, with outreach programs in Boise, Hailey, Burley and Gooding....
, a community college in only its third year of existence. The 1967–68 Golden Eagles posted a 33–4 record and quickly became a consistent national contender at the community college level. Sutton left CSI in 1969 to coach at Creighton. It was with the Bluejays that he made his first coaching appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1974.
University of Arkansas
In 1974, Sutton took over an underperforming Arkansas program from Lanny Van Eman. Over the next 11 seasons, Sutton compiled a record of 260-75, including five Southwest Conference championships, nine NCAA tournament appearances, and a Final Four appearance in 1978. Sutton left Arkansas in 1985 to succeed
Joe B. Hall-See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *...
at the University of Kentucky. Arkansas replaced Eddie Sutton with
Nolan RichardsonNolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...
.
University of Kentucky (1985–1989)
In 1985, Sutton took the helm of one of the nation's most prestigious college basketball programs at the University of Kentucky. He coached the Wildcats for four years, leading them to the Elite Eight of the
1986 NCAA TournamentThe 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas...
. Two seasons later, Sutton and the 25-5 Wildcats captured their 37th SEC title (which was later vacated by the SEC) and were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and
UPIUnited Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
before losing to
VillanovaVillanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
in the
1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1988, and ended with the championship game on April 4 returning to Kansas City, Missouri...
.
However Sutton's tenure at Kentucky promptly ended at the close of the 1988–89 season after a scandal and a losing record tarnished the school's basketball program. Kentucky entered the 1988–89 season lacking significant talent in their lineup. The previous season's offensive and defensive stars Ed Davender, Robert Lock and
Winston BennettWinston George Bennett III is a retired American professional basketball player and current men's basketball head coach for Mid-Continent University.-High school and college career:...
had all graduated from school; All-SEC sophomore
Rex ChapmanRex Everett Chapman is a retired American professional basketball player. Chapman was a college standout at the University of Kentucky and went on to play for four NBA teams through his 12-year career in the league...
left school early to enter the
1988 NBA DraftThe 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
. Additionally, sophomore standout
Eric ManuelEric Manuel was an American college basketball player.Born in Macon, Georgia; Manuel made the Parade and McDonald's All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The small forward/shooting guard signed with the Kentucky Wildcats, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his...
was suspected of cheating on his college entrance exam and voluntarily agreed to sit out until the investigation was finished. Potential franchise recruit
Shawn KempShawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
transferred out of Kentucky after signing with the school early that year. As it turned out, Manuel didn't play a single game as the investigation dragged through the entire season, essentially placing the Wildcats in the hands of the inexperienced sophomore
LeRon EllisLeRon Perry Ellis is an American professional basketball player and former NBA athlete. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad Mater Dei...
and freshman
Chris MillsChristopher Lemonte Mills is a retired American professional basketball player.Chris Mills attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, from 1986–1988. At 6'7", he was the starting center for each of his three years playing varsity basketball there. In 1987 and 1988, he was awarded the City 4-A...
. The two underclassmen struggled to fill the talent vacuum on the court and the Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13-19, the team's first losing full-season record since 1927. To add insult to injury, the NCAA announced at the end of the season that its investigation into the basketball program had found the school guilty of violating numerous NCAA policies.
The scandal broke when
Emery WorldwideEmery Worldwide was a cargo airline, once one of the leading carriers in the cargo airline world. Its headquarters were located in Redwood City, California....
employees discovered $1,000 in cash in an envelope Kentucky assistant coach
Dwane CaseyDwane Casey is a former NCAA basketball player and coach who currently is a head coach in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors.-Early years:Casey was born in Morganfield, Kentucky, and graduated from Union County High School in 1975....
sent to Mills' father. Kentucky was already on probation stemming from an extensive scheme of payments to recruits, and the NCAA seriously considered hitting the Wildcats with the "death penalty", which would have shut down the entire basketball program (as opposed to simply being banned from postseason play) for up to two years. However, school president
David RoselleDavid Paul Roselle is an American mathematician and academic administrator who served as the ninth President of the University of Kentucky and the 25th President of the University of Delaware.-Early life and family:...
forced Sutton and athletic director
Cliff HaganClifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner," played his entire 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks...
to resign. The Wildcats were slapped with three years' probation, a two-year ban from postseason play and a ban from live television in 1989–90. Additionally, Manuel was banned from ever playing again for any NCAA member school.
Oklahoma State University
Sutton returned to Oklahoma State in 1990, appointed with the task of restoring the honor and tradition of Cowboy basketball that had lain dormant in the years leading up to his hiring. The Cowboys had only made postseason play three times since joining the
Big Eight ConferenceThe Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
in 1957.
Given a second chance, Sutton soon went to work on reviving the Cowboys, and his coaching career. The Pokes began to turn around almost immediately with Sutton’s presence, and in 1991, Oklahoma State returned to the NCAA Tournament, ending their NCAA Tournament drought that had lasted since losing 56–53 to Princeton in 1983. Sutton’s Cowboys advanced all the way to the Sweet Sixteen his first two seasons as head coach. Sutton cemented the Cowboys’ return to the ranks of college basketball’s major powers in 1995 as the Pokes, with the leadership of ‘Big Country’
Bryant ReevesBryant Reeves is an American retired professional basketball player for the NBA's Vancouver Grizzlies...
and Randy Rutherford, captured a share of the Big 8 Conference championship and won a bid to the 1995 NCAA Final Four in Seattle.
Under his tutelage, the Cowboys reached the postseason 14 times in his 17 years in Stillwater (having declined an
NITThe National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
bid in Sutton's sixth season as head coach), including 13 NCAA Tournament bids and two Final Four appearances. They also captured three regular-season conference titles and three conference tournament championships. He is the second-winningest coach in school history, behind only his mentor, Iba.
On January 15, 2005, the court at
Gallagher-Iba ArenaGallagher-Iba Arena, also known as "The Rowdiest Arena in the Country" and "The Madison Square Garden of the Plains”, is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States...
at Oklahoma State University was officially renamed Eddie Sutton Court. He was later honored for his contributions to the game of basketball and Oklahoma State University, on February 21, 2007.
On February 10, 2006, Eddie Sutton was in a car accident in Stillwater. He was cited for Driving Under the Influence and later confessed to having taken prescription painkillers and drinking alcohol.
Witnesses say that Sutton fell in the parking lot outside Gallagher-Iba Arena just before getting into his Dodge Durango. He appeared slightly dazed but still got into his car and drove away. A few minutes later, he was weaving on the road, driving to the left of center. His Durango struck the back of a Suburban before swerving left, then right and off the road into a tree. Sutton was taken to the hospital; nobody was seriously injured in the accident. Sutton announced he was taking a medical leave of absence from the basketball team, citing his health problems and the accident as reasons. The games played would continue to count against his overall record, though Head Coach Designate and Sutton's son Sean would coach for the remainder of the season.
On February 15, 2006, Sutton read a prepared statement over the phone at an OSU press conference. He admitted he had taken prescription medication and "bought a bottle" of alcohol on the night of the accident. He acknowledged his past struggles with alcohol in the late 1980s in which he went to treatment at the Betty Ford Clinic, and he said he would seek treatment once again.
Sutton eventually resigned from his position as Head Coach at Oklahoma State. He underwent treatment for his health issues as well as alcoholism and began public speaking against the dangers of alcohol. Sean Sutton took over the reins as Head Coach for the 2006–07 season.
University of San Francisco
On December 26, 2007, Sutton announced that he was coming out of retirement to replace
Jessie EvansJessie Evans is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco. He was replaced by Eddie Sutton on December 26, 2007. He previously held the same position at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.-References:...
as head coach of the
University of San FranciscoThe University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
's basketball team on an interim basis. After joining the program with 798 career wins, Sutton garnered his 800th win on February 2, 2008, making him the fifth NCAA Division I men's basketball coach to reach the milestone.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=280332492 Sutton was replaced by
Rex Walters-External links:...
as USF head coach in April 2008.
Head coaching record
*Big 8 Championship shared with KansasThe sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
*Kentucky vacated the 1987–88 SEC regular season and tournament titles as well as its NCAA Tournament appearance after Eric ManuelEric Manuel was an American college basketball player.Born in Macon, Georgia; Manuel made the Parade and McDonald's All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The small forward/shooting guard signed with the Kentucky Wildcats, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his...
was found to be academically ineligible.
Family legacy
Eddie Sutton has three sons:
Sean SuttonSean Sutton was the head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program from 2006 until April 1, 2008. He is currently an assistant at Oral Roberts University.-Playing career:...
, the former head coach of Oklahoma State University,
Scott SuttonScott Sutton is the men's basketball coach for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. He coached the university into the first round of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournaments....
, the current head coach of
Oral Roberts UniversityOral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
, and Steve Sutton, who is a successful banker (Spirit Bank) in
Tulsa, OklahomaTulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
. Scott Sutton and Steve Sutton are also members of
Sigma ChiSigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity, along with their father.
See also
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coach
External links