Sutton Honored with Naming of Mens Practice Gym at UA

(FAYETTEVILLE) College Basketball Hall of Famer and former Razorback head men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton has been honored with the naming of the men’s practice gym at the University of Arkansas’ Basketball Performance Center.

A resolution submitted by Chancellor Joseph Steinmetz to the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees to name the men’s practice gym for Sutton, was adopted at Thursday’s Board of Trustees meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“Coach Sutton is an integral part of the history of Razorback Basketball and it is fitting that he be honored in this way for his contributions to our program,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said.

“Coach Sutton helped transform the way our state thought about college basketball and provided Razorback fans with countless memories. His legacy is not only shaped by his many victories and championships, but also by the immeasurable impact he made in the lives of the young men who called him ‘Coach’.”

Sutton spent 36 years as a NCAA Division I basketball coach and became the first coach to take four schools to the NCAA Tournament.

In 1974, Sutton took over the Arkansas program and over the next 11 seasons, he compiled a record of 260-75, including five Southwest Conference championships, nine NCAA tournament appearances and a Final Four appearance in 1978.

Sutton helped lead the Razorbacks to national prominence, including coaching the the famed Triplets – Sidney Moncrief, Ron Brewer, and Marvin Delph – Joe Kleine, Scott Hastings, Alvin Robertson, Darrell Walker, and numerous other Razorback greats.

His Arkansas winning percentage of .776 is the highest in the history of the Southwest Conference. He is a member of both the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame.

In 2011, Sutton was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Mo. In 2016, the University of Arkansas honored Sutton with a banner in Bud Walton Arena.

Sutton coached at Tulsa, prior to being named the Razorbacks head coach in 1974. After leaving Arkansas, Sutton coached at Oklahoma State.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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