Sutton inducted to Hall of Fame

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Former University of Arkansas head men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday night in a ceremony held at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City, Mo.

Sutton, Arkansas’ head coach for 11 years between 1975 and 1985, is a part of an eight-member induction class which includes players James Worthy, Chris Mullen, Cazzie Russell and Ralph Sampson, coach Bob Knight and contributors Eddie Einhorn and Joe Vancisin.

Sutton ranks No. 2 on Arkansas’ all-time wins list by a head coach with 260 while his .776 winning percentage also ranks No. 2.  During his tenure as Arkansas’ head coach he guided the Razorbacks to nine NCAA Tournaments, three NCAA Regionals and the 1978 Final Four.  His teams also won five Southwest Conference Championships and three Southwest Conference Tournament titles.  Sutton was also named the 1978 national coach of the year after leading Arkansas to the Final Four.

In addition to his time at Arkansas, Sutton was the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State) and led those four schools for a total of 36 years.  His 804 wins rank eighth among all NCAA Division I head coaches and he had a winning percentage of 71 percent while advancing to 26 NCAA Tournaments.  Along with his time on the court, Sutton served as a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, the NABC board of directors and was the NABC president in 1987-88.