Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame
Eddie Sutton
- Induction:
- 1997
Eddie Sutton started his Division I coaching career at Creighton University 28 years ago and returns tonight as our 1997 Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
Sutton, tutored by the legendary Henry Iba at Oklahoma State first as a player and then as a graduate assistant coach, started his head coaching career in the high school ranks, achieving a 119-51 record in seven years as head coach and director of athletics at IUlsa (Okla.) Central High.
In his stint at Central High, Sutton directed his team to four state tournament appearances and earned "Coach of the Year" honors at city, conference, state, and national levels.
Sutton continued his success at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, where he served as the junior college's director of athletics and head basketball coach for three years and compiling an impressive 83-14 record.
From Twin Falls, the 33-year-old Sutton accepted his first Division I coaching job and moved to Omaha as Creighton's director of athletics and head men's basketball coach.
In his five seasons at Creighton, Sutton compiled an 82-50 record, the sixth-best winning percentage (.621) in program history and the second-best mark since World War II.
In his final year at the Creighton helm, the Bluejays finished 23-7 and earned the program's fourth invitation to NCAA Tournament play and its first since the 1963-64 season. During the 1974 NCAA Tournament, Sutton's Bluejays knocked off Texas 77-61 in the first round before losing to Kansas 55-54. Creighton did rebound from the KU loss, however, and downed Louisville 80-71 in the Midwest Regional third-place game.
Sutton left Creighton to take over a struggling Arkansas program before the 1974-75 season. The Razorbacks had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1958, but under Sutton, Arkansas posted 17-9 and 19-9 records in his first two seasons before going on to win at least 21 games and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each of his last nine seasons in Fayetteville. Sutton's 1977-78 Arkansas squad advanced to the Final Four and finished with a 32-4 record.
After posting a 260-75 (.776 winning percentage) in 11 years at Arkansas, Sutton took over the Kentucky program and immediately guided the Wildcats to a 32-4 record in 1985-86, good enough for a Southeastern Conference championship, a NO. 3 national rankings and national "Coach of the Year" honors. After winning a second SEC title during the 1987-88 season, the Wildcats struggled to a 13-19 record in 1988-89. Following that season, Sutton stepped down as Kentucky coach after compiling a four-year record of 88-39 (.693 winning percentage) as head coach.
Following a one-year hiatus from coaching, Sutton returned to his alma mater for the 1990-91 season and led Oklahoma State to a 24-8 record and a share of the Big Eight regular season championship while tying the conference record for most wins by a league coach in his first season.
The Cowboys went on to post five consecutive 20-win seasons and made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 19 Final Four. The 1994-95 OSU team finished 27-10 after losing to eventual national champion UCLA, and Sutt earned his fourth national "Coach Of The Year" award.
In 1995-96, the Cowboys posted a 17-10 record, and this year, OSU finished 17-15 after losing at Michigan in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament, giving Sutton a 157-70 record in seven years as head coach in Stillwater.
In 27 years as a collegiate coach, Sutton has compiled a 604-244 (.713 winning percentage) record, behind only Jerry Tarkanian, Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, and Denny Cru among active coaches for career victories and career winning percentage.
A four-time national "Coach of the Year" and a six time league "Coach of the Year" in the Southwest Southeastern and Big Eight Conferences, Sutton is the only coach NCAA history to lead four different programs in the NCAA Tournament - beginning with the 1973 Bluejays - and he has taken 18 teams to the "Big Dance" his 26 years as a head coach.
As a guard at Oklahoma State from 1956-58. Sutton helped the Cowboys advance to the 1958 NCA Tournament. In three seasons, Sutton averaged 6.6 points per game and led the team in free-throw shooting (84 percent) in his junior year.
Sutton graduated from Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s degree in 1958, and he earned his master's degree from OSU in 1959.
A native of Bucklin, Kan., Sutton is married to former Patsy Wright and has three sons - Steve, Sean Scott, and one grandson, Hunter.
Sutton, tutored by the legendary Henry Iba at Oklahoma State first as a player and then as a graduate assistant coach, started his head coaching career in the high school ranks, achieving a 119-51 record in seven years as head coach and director of athletics at IUlsa (Okla.) Central High.
In his stint at Central High, Sutton directed his team to four state tournament appearances and earned "Coach of the Year" honors at city, conference, state, and national levels.
Sutton continued his success at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, where he served as the junior college's director of athletics and head basketball coach for three years and compiling an impressive 83-14 record.
From Twin Falls, the 33-year-old Sutton accepted his first Division I coaching job and moved to Omaha as Creighton's director of athletics and head men's basketball coach.
In his five seasons at Creighton, Sutton compiled an 82-50 record, the sixth-best winning percentage (.621) in program history and the second-best mark since World War II.
In his final year at the Creighton helm, the Bluejays finished 23-7 and earned the program's fourth invitation to NCAA Tournament play and its first since the 1963-64 season. During the 1974 NCAA Tournament, Sutton's Bluejays knocked off Texas 77-61 in the first round before losing to Kansas 55-54. Creighton did rebound from the KU loss, however, and downed Louisville 80-71 in the Midwest Regional third-place game.
Sutton left Creighton to take over a struggling Arkansas program before the 1974-75 season. The Razorbacks had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1958, but under Sutton, Arkansas posted 17-9 and 19-9 records in his first two seasons before going on to win at least 21 games and advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each of his last nine seasons in Fayetteville. Sutton's 1977-78 Arkansas squad advanced to the Final Four and finished with a 32-4 record.
After posting a 260-75 (.776 winning percentage) in 11 years at Arkansas, Sutton took over the Kentucky program and immediately guided the Wildcats to a 32-4 record in 1985-86, good enough for a Southeastern Conference championship, a NO. 3 national rankings and national "Coach of the Year" honors. After winning a second SEC title during the 1987-88 season, the Wildcats struggled to a 13-19 record in 1988-89. Following that season, Sutton stepped down as Kentucky coach after compiling a four-year record of 88-39 (.693 winning percentage) as head coach.
Following a one-year hiatus from coaching, Sutton returned to his alma mater for the 1990-91 season and led Oklahoma State to a 24-8 record and a share of the Big Eight regular season championship while tying the conference record for most wins by a league coach in his first season.
The Cowboys went on to post five consecutive 20-win seasons and made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the 19 Final Four. The 1994-95 OSU team finished 27-10 after losing to eventual national champion UCLA, and Sutt earned his fourth national "Coach Of The Year" award.
In 1995-96, the Cowboys posted a 17-10 record, and this year, OSU finished 17-15 after losing at Michigan in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament, giving Sutton a 157-70 record in seven years as head coach in Stillwater.
In 27 years as a collegiate coach, Sutton has compiled a 604-244 (.713 winning percentage) record, behind only Jerry Tarkanian, Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, and Denny Cru among active coaches for career victories and career winning percentage.
A four-time national "Coach of the Year" and a six time league "Coach of the Year" in the Southwest Southeastern and Big Eight Conferences, Sutton is the only coach NCAA history to lead four different programs in the NCAA Tournament - beginning with the 1973 Bluejays - and he has taken 18 teams to the "Big Dance" his 26 years as a head coach.
As a guard at Oklahoma State from 1956-58. Sutton helped the Cowboys advance to the 1958 NCA Tournament. In three seasons, Sutton averaged 6.6 points per game and led the team in free-throw shooting (84 percent) in his junior year.
Sutton graduated from Oklahoma State with a bachelor’s degree in 1958, and he earned his master's degree from OSU in 1959.
A native of Bucklin, Kan., Sutton is married to former Patsy Wright and has three sons - Steve, Sean Scott, and one grandson, Hunter.
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