Eddie Sutton: Humble Servant in the Vinyard of God

Well, for all practical purposes, Basketball season is upon us. What this means for everyone, of course, is that Eddie Sutton is about to take the court for his 16th season at the helm of Oklahoma State University. Now, for those of greater ignorance out there in the world, Oklahoma State University (not Duke and certainly not North Carolina) is the home to the greatest basketball coach of all time. That man is Eddie Sutton (now it is arguable, of course, whether Eddie or his mentor Henry Iba take this title, but I digress). Basketball had its golden age in the plains. As any fool knows, the game was invented by James Naismith, a physical educator at a New England college. The game quickly spread out of the hostile conditions of New England to the plains, where sports dominated local life. It was the great rivalry between Henry Iba of (then) Oklahoma A & M College (now Oklahoma State University) and Forrest "Phog" Allen of the University of Kansas that made the game what it is. Oh, ye naysayers, harken to my voice! Basketball is what it is today because of Henry Iba. Naismith never could have conceived what his indoor game for physical ed. would become. Here are some highlights from the Basketball Hall of Fame website about Hank Iba.

"There are few in basketball circles who don't know about the legendary Henry Iba. As a collegiate coach at Oklahoma A&M and a three-time mentor of our Olympic teams, Iba did more than win national championships and gold medals. He transcended greatness. Mr. Iba's teams were methodical, ball-controlling units that featured weaving patterns and low scoring games. Iba's "swinging gate" defense (a man-to-man with team flow) was applauded by many, and is still effective in today's game. Behind dominating 7-foot center Bob Kurland, Iba's Aggies became the first to win consecutive NCAA titles (1945 and 1946). A&M teams won 14 Midwestern Valley titles, and were largely responsible for generating most of Iba's 767 victories, third best in NCAA Division I history. "Hank" also coached at Maryville College and the University of Colorado. He is the only coach in history to win two Olympic gold medals (1964 in Tokyo; 1968 in Mexico City), and he will also be remembered as the coach of the 1972 Olympic team that lost to the Soviet Union in a controversial ending."

Eddie Sutton played for Iba from 1955-1958. He is, today, a giant among coaches. Don't believe me? Here are some facts:

-Only coach in NCAA Division I history to record 30 or more wins in a single season at more than one shcool (won 30 or more games at Arkansas in 1978, Kentucky in 1987 and Oklahoma Sate in 2004).
-Just the third coach in Division I history to reach the 700-win mark in 32 years or less.
-Only Dean Smith won more games in his first 35 years as a Division I head coach.
-Four-time National Coach of the Year (1977, 1978, 1986, 1995).
-Eight-time Conference Coach of hte Year (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1993, 1998, 2004).
-One of just two different coaches nationally to win coach-of-the-year in four different conferences.
-First coach in NCAA history to lead four different schools to the NCAA tournament (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, OSU).
-Led teams to 26 NCAA Tournament appearances in 35 years, including 12 consecutive from 1977-88.
-20 of his teams have finished the season ranked among the nation's top 25, including 11 top-10 finishes.
-Has produced 25 20-win seasons, including three 30-win seasons.
-Has had only one losing season in 35 years as a collegiate coach.
-Has won conference championships in the SWC, SEC, Big Eight, and Big 12.
-Ranks second among active Division I head coaches in games coached with 1,080.
-Ranks second among active head coaches by victories.
-Ranks seventh all-time in victories among all Division I coaches.

So there you have it: Eddie Sutton. Humble servant. Basketball legend. GO POKES!