Like It Is

No denying Sutton was one great coach

Arkansas Democrat columnist Wally Hall speaks with basketball coach Eddie Sutton in this undated photo.

Surrounded by family and a few former players and reclining in a chair with a blanket over him, the good news finally came.

Oldest son Steve Sutton handled the call on a cell phone that was on speaker so everyone could share the good news.

Eddie Sutton, winner of 806 college basketball games, has been forgiven by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and will be part of its next induction class.

That hall of fame was the final holdout. Everyone else had long since forgiven Eddie for his battles with alcohol and chose to remember him as the man who laid the foundation for basketball at the University of Arkansas including a trip to the Final Four and who took his alma mater, Oklahoma State to two Final Fours.

The Razorbacks honored Eddie in February of 2016 at the halftime of the Missouri game by raising a banner with his name on it.

Before the game a reception was held in the practice facility, which now bears his name (OSU has the Eddie Sutton Court), and literally dozens of former players, managers, friends and family were there.

Eddie was in a wheelchair and always surrounded by admirers.

Near the end, yours truly edged through the crowd and Eddie reached up, grabbed my arm with more strength than one would have thought and pulled me close.

“You are a great sports writer,” he said, “but maybe not as good as you think sometimes.”

He was smiling and several who heard looked amused, and he added: “I’m just kidding you. Might be my last chance to zing you.”

Several times last season Steve would drive to Tulsa, pick his dad up and drive him back to Fayetteville for games.

Eddie never lost his love for Arkansas and the Razorbacks.

When he took the Kentucky job, he commented he would have crawled to Kentucky. It stunned and hurt deeply the fans who had loyally followed him all over the country.

The comment was aimed at Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles.

That last year had been a fiery one between the two, and there were many private meetings usually refereed by Tom Gulley and Ted Harrod.

Broyles wanted Sutton to get help with his drinking. Eddie insisted he didn’t have a problem.

Four years later after being dismissed by Kentucky in 1989, where he won the SEC twice, he got help at the Betty Ford Clinic.

He spent a year as a consultant for Nike, traveling the country and meeting with coaches.

In 1990, OSU called. The school had been to three NCAA Tournaments since 1957, and they needed him.

The Cowboys made March Madness in his first season and 12 more times in his 16 seasons when he had a 368-151 record.

In 2001, tragedy struck the program when a plane returning from a game in Colorado crashed, and everyone on board including two players were killed.

Eddie personally called every spouse and parent and gave them the news.

Not long after those closest to him suspected he was falling off the wagon, he resigned after a 2006 car wreck, admitting to buying a bottle.

He gave it one more shot, coaching the University of San Francisco as an interim head coach but resigned after the season.

In 37 years, Eddie had a record of 806-326. He won five SWC titles and took the Razorbacks to nine NCAA Tournaments. He was 368-155 at OSU. He went to 26 NCAA Tournaments and was the first to take four schools to the tournament.

On Friday, he finally got the call and was surrounded by his family and later congratulated by legions of former players whose lives he touched.

Eddie Sutton’s legacy is being one of he greatest college coaches of all time.