Eddie Sutton
Eddie-Sutton-Display-Heritage-Hall.jpg
Eddie Sutton (born March 12, 1936 in Bucklin, Kansas) is currently the head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program. He has designated his son Sean, currently his top assistant, as his successor, but has not yet set a date for his retirement.
In Sutton's college career, he played for OSU under Henry Iba. In his college coaching career, he was the head coach of Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma State. He has the rare distinction of having taken two schools (Arkansas and Oklahoma State) to the Final Four, and was the first coach to lead four schools to the NCAA tournament.
The main blemishes on his coaching resume are related to his tenure at Kentucky. He is the only Kentucky coach since the inception of the NCAA tournament in 1939 who never led the Wildcats to the Final Four. Also, his only losing season as a coach was in his last season at Kentucky in 1988-89. Finally, his tenure at Kentucky ended with a scandal that nearly destroyed the school's basketball program, although there is no evidence that he was involved. One player was found to have received improper assistance on his college entrance exams, and a second was found to have received cash payments from a booster.
On January 15, 2005, the court at Gallagher-Iba Arena at Oklahoma State University was officially named after Eddie Sutton as the Eddie Sutton Court.
Collegiate coaching record
The following table shows Sutton's records and team achievements while at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma State.
| Season | School | Record (Wins-Loses) | Team Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-70 | Creighton | 15-10 | None |
| 1970-71 | Creighton | 14-11 | None |
| 1971-72 | Creighton | 15-11 | None |
| 1972-73 | Creighton | 15-11 | None |
| 1973-74 | Creighton | 23-7 | NCAA Regional Final |
| 1974-75 | Arkansas | 17-9 | None |
| 1975-76 | Arkansas | 19-9 | None |
| 1976-77 | Arkansas | 26-2 | SWC champion SWC Tournament champion NCAA First Round |
| 1977-78 | Arkansas | 32-4 | SWC champion NCAA Final Four |
| 1978-79 | Arkansas | 25-5 | SWC champion SWC Tournament champion NCAA Regional Final |
| 1979-80 | Arkansas | 21-8 | NCAA First Round |
| 1980-81 | Arkansas | 24-8 | SWC champion NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| 1982-83 | Arkansas | 26-4 | NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| 1983-84 | Arkansas | 25-7 | NCAA First Round |
| 1984-85 | Arkansas | 22-13 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1985-86 | Kentucky | 32-4 | SEC champions SEC Tournament champions NCAA Regional Final |
| 1986-87 | Kentucky | 18-11 | NCAA First Round |
| 1987-88 | Kentucky | 27-6 | Because of serious NCAA rules violations, the SEC Tournament title was vacated and NCAA Tournament wins voided. The loss in the NCAA Regional Final was also voided. |
| 1988-89 | Kentucky | 13-19 | None |
| 1989-90 | Did not coach | N/A | N/A |
| 1990-91 | Oklahoma State | 24-8 | NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| 1991-92 | Oklahoma State | 28-8 | Big 8 champions NCAA Regional Semifinal |
| 1992-93 | Oklahoma State | 20-9 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1993-94 | Oklahoma State | 24-10 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1994-95 | Oklahoma State | 27-10 | Big XII champions (split) NCAA Final Four |
| 1995-96 | Oklahoma State | 17-10 | None |
| 1996-97 | Oklahoma State | 17-15 | NIT Second Round |
| 1997-98 | Oklahoma State | 22-7 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1998-99 | Oklahoma State | 22-10 | NCAA Second Round |
| 1999-2000 | Oklahoma State | 22-7 | NCAA Regional Final |
| 2000-01 | Oklahoma State | 20-10 | NCAA First Round |
| 2001-02 | Oklahoma State | 23-9 | NCAA First Round |
| 2002-03 | Oklahoma State | 22-10 | NCAA Second Round |
| 2003-04 | Oklahoma State | 27-3 | Big XII champions Big XII Tournament champions NCAA Final Four |
| 2004-05 | Oklahoma State | 26-7 | Big XII Tournament champions NCAA Regional Semifinal |
External links
| Preceded by: Joe B. Hall | University of Kentucky Head Basketball Coach 1985–1989 | Succeeded by: Rick Pitino |