Eddie Sutton Years

[grevey35]

UK never denied sending the money when cooperating with the NCAA, and Casey’s lawsuit against Emory was basically a negligence/breach of contract claim. Was it a weird story and were people from UCLA involved in sabotaging UK? Yes absolutely. That’s why Mills ended up at Arizona.

Jerry Tarkanian has a chapter in his book about recruiting Sam Bowie, and what he was up against when it came to UK. Worth the read, and should shed some light on the extracurriculars our players got.

Tarkanian accusing others of cheating is pretty damn rich. Roselle sacrificed UK as a stepping stone to an Ivy League job.

 

[BBBLazing]

I heard the story about Rex dating Shawna and how Sutton handled it at the time it was happening. The fact that Rex confirmed the story many years later pretty much convinced me it was true. I was also hearing about the drinking issues and saw first hand his erratic behavior toward fans. The drinking issues were also confirmed when he got in trouble at Oklahoma State.

All that aside, what gets me most is that Sutton never took any responsibility for the issues going on at UK and was allowed to move on to another job. Others, like Eric Manuel were thrown under a bus. Casey was also thrown under a bus but came out vindicated in the end.

My oldest son was at UK while Rex was there and told me that the buzz around campus was that boosters were mad that Rex was dating a black girl. I may be remembering this wrong, but I think it was Mark Higgs's sister, they are both from Owensboro. I know my son said that everyone was pissed about it and there was turmoil at the time. Listening to podcasts since, not just Rex, it has pretty much been confirmed that the boosters didn't like "King Rex" acting black. One of the reasons he went "hardship" as we used to say, after two years.

 

[HagginHall1999]

It’s a slow week and I’d love to hear some insights from some of you who witnessed the Eddie Sutton years.

For context, my first memory of UK basketball was at the barber shop with my grandpa. As we waited, all the men were glued to the small TV where UK was playing Notre Dame. I can remember 3 things about that day ….. UK won, LaRon Ellis scored 14 points and seemed to have a breakout game, and I became a UK fan for life. After searching for box scores, I believe the date would have been Jan 31, 1988. Boxscore http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19880131NotreDame.html

I also remember the Villanova game that year in the tournament. After that, my next memories seem to be Rick Pitino arriving as coach and the probation years, where I became a huge fan at 10 years old. My question is …… where did it go wrong for Eddie Sutton? I’ve heard people say he was a drunk, but i was too young to remember. I just rewatched some of those games. He had a talented roster. He seemed to be a decent bench coach. Was it just scandal? Was he in over his head? I’d like to hear the comments of you who lived it rather than Google for articles. Thanks!

OP, take a look at these. My 7th grade teacher gave me 4 of these books way back when. Pretty fun to get out every once in a while.

Here's the game you are referring to.

 

[kennyskywalker34]

I remember when Sutton signed 6'10" Mike Scott. An interviewer ask him to describe Scott's skills and what positives he brings to the team. "Well, uh... uh..." Sutton said awkwardly, "he has soft paws."

I have a friend who is cousins with Mike. I've never met him. By all accounts he is a good guy and still follows the Cats.

 

[Ollie]

I was at UK during some of those years. When we got Kemp, we would go to Seaton Center to watch pick up games and he was the man. Just dominated pick up games. We were jacked about how good we were going to be. Then it all fell apart.
Eddie just had a problem. Also heard the Emory package was in UK basketball offices and they would leave the packages open. Boosters would walk in and put "gifts" in it, then seal it up and it would ship. That way the basketball coaches would say "I didn't do anything." Not sure if it happened that way or not, just what I heard.

 

[FirewithFire]

The Sutton years were full of ups and downs. Can't say I remember them fondly.

Ever wonder where big brother / little brother came from. Thank Eddy.

The first thing I remember is wondering if Kenny Walker would hang around. He is still one of my favorite players and a signed poster of his still hangs on my wall today. That loss to LSU to end the season tore me up bad.

I remember when Chapman showed up and everyone was over the moon. Then he declared and left early and you would have thought the moon was going to crash into the earth.

There was the Shawn Kemp / Shawn Sutton debacle. Ugh, I don't even want to think about the what ifs anymore.

The best thing I can say about the Sutton years is that they led to the Pitino years.

 

[saxonburgcat]

I was at UK during some of those years. When we got Kemp, we would go to Seaton Center to watch pick up games and he was the man. Just dominated pick up games. We were jacked about how good we were going to be. Then it all fell apart.
Eddie just had a problem. Also heard the Emory package was in UK basketball offices and they would leave the packages open. Boosters would walk in and put "gifts" in it, then seal it up and it would ship. That way the basketball coaches would say "I didn't do anything." Not sure if it happened that way or not, just what I heard.

In his review of "Raw Recruits" Jon Scott says, "The book suggests that either Casey did it, or that a rich UK booster did it and even gives a name and circumstantial evidence that the day the news broke, the booster had a four hour meeting with Sutton and 'looked like a Mack truck had just hit him.'"

Raw Recruits: A Review

 

[jeffky]

I remember when Sutton signed 6'10" Mike Scott. An interviewer ask him to describe Scott's skills and what positives he brings to the team. "Well, uh... uh..." Sutton said awkwardly, "he has soft paws."

Greenup County right Billy Ray Miley wonder if Mike was from Flatwoods

 

[ruppcat]

Eddie Sutton was a great coach but fell into the Maker's bottle. I think he was quoted as saying
he would crawl to Lexington to coach Kentucky. He along with Dwayne Casey got screwed on the whole Emory
thing although Casey got a good settlement from a resulting lawsuit. Had a killer roster until it fell apart over
Emory and Chris Mills..... Eric Manual and Shawn Kemp who took Shawn Sutton's necklace then went straight
to the NBA. He was successful before UK and after............ Just couldn't take the pressure.
If not for all the crap going on Rex would have probably stayed another year and be a Wildcat legend.
A title or two may have been on the horizon.

That roster had title all over it.

 

[ruppcat]

My oldest son was at UK while Rex was there and told me that the buzz around campus was that boosters were mad that Rex was dating a black girl. I may be remembering this wrong, but I think it was Mark Higgs's sister, they are both from Owensboro. I know my son said that everyone was pissed about it and there was turmoil at the time. Listening to podcasts since, not just Rex, it has pretty much been confirmed that the boosters didn't like "King Rex" acting black. One of the reasons he went "hardship" as we used to say, after two years.

I heard the same from a UK guy while I was working at a grocery store in Athens, GA.

 

[RunninRichie]

I can hear his voice in those radio commercials to this day. "This is coach Eddie Sutton (big drawl kicks in) of the You Kay Wiiiildcats."

Southern Drawl?? Dude was from Kansas. Though I guess he figured he might as well put one on since he was in Kentucky to try and blend in. Lol.

 

[DDMatUK=NBA]

Sutton had his issues, most of which would have never been public had he played nicely with the right people. Nevertheless, he's still one of the best x and o coaches ever. And yes, the package falling open...I'd like to know the real truth with that, but I don't think we have the whole story behind that and likely never will.

I'd say that if he played well with others, he would've retired here as possibly our winningest coach ever. That's not how it worked out though, obviously. Fabulous coach though! He was just the wrong hire, here, at the time.

 

[ruppcat]

I heard the story about Rex dating Shawna and how Sutton handled it at the time it was happening. The fact that Rex confirmed the story many years later pretty much convinced me it was true. I was also hearing about the drinking issues and saw first hand his erratic behavior toward fans. The drinking issues were also confirmed when he got in trouble at Oklahoma State.

All that aside, what gets me most is that Sutton never took any responsibility for the issues going on at UK and was allowed to move on to another job. Others, like Eric Manuel were thrown under a bus. Casey was also thrown under a bus but came out vindicated in the end.

Eric is the one who really got shafted in all of this. IIRC he was banned from playing D1 ball.

Imagine if the ncaa really crawled up unc and puke's rear like they did with UK. Those two schools would have been shut down completely.....the cheats especially.

 

[TucsonCat]

I recall reading the SI article (?) on this. IF they cheated as claimed it was a master stroke of doing so.

And for an Emory package to come unglued and opened and it just happened to be found by a USC fan.....yeah.....not buying that.

Not a fan. 7. 7 people testified they saw money. So one fan happened to have 1000 dollars on him on the day he found the package going to Mills, and got 6 buddies to risk perjury.

 

[michaeluk26]

Didn't Mills have the first triple double in program history?

I thought Briscoe had the first and Fox the 2nd one. Don't know why I'm thinking that.

 

[TopCatCal]

It’s a slow week and I’d love to hear some insights from some of you who witnessed the Eddie Sutton years.

For context, my first memory of UK basketball was at the barber shop with my grandpa. As we waited, all the men were glued to the small TV where UK was playing Notre Dame. I can remember 3 things about that day ….. UK won, LaRon Ellis scored 14 points and seemed to have a breakout game, and I became a UK fan for life. After searching for box scores, I believe the date would have been Jan 31, 1988. Boxscore http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/Games/19880131NotreDame.html

I also remember the Villanova game that year in the tournament. After that, my next memories seem to be Rick Pitino arriving as coach and the probation years, where I became a huge fan at 10 years old. My question is …… where did it go wrong for Eddie Sutton? I’ve heard people say he was a drunk, but i was too young to remember. I just rewatched some of those games. He had a talented roster. He seemed to be a decent bench coach. Was it just scandal? Was he in over his head? I’d like to hear the comments of you who lived it rather than Google for articles. Thanks!

Eddie Sutton was a great coach, probably one of the 3 or 4 best to ever coach here, along with Rupp, Pitino & Hall. IF he could have just left the bottle alone.

 

[Swimcat20]

I thought the 1986 team was one of the greatest overachieving teams of all time. We lacked depth, size, Kenny Walker at 6-8 was the tallest starter. We were 32-4 beat Indiana and Louisville ( UL was national champions that year, Indiana the following year) won the SEC regular season and tournament. Damn shame losing to LSU, a team we'd beaten three times, by 2 points.

 

[megablue]

Eddie Sutton was a great coach, probably one of the 3 or 4 best to ever coach here, along with Rupp, Pitino & Hall. IF he could have just left the bottle alone.

I recall an interview where he said he had "succumbed to the bottle" ...

 

[ruppcat]

I thought the 1986 team was one of the greatest overachieving teams of all time. We lacked depth, size, Kenny Walker at 6-8 was the tallest starter. We were 32-4 beat Indiana and Louisville ( UL was national champions that year, Indiana the following year) won the SEC regular season and tournament. Damn shame losing to LSU, a team we'd beaten three times, by 2 points.

Has Ricky Blanton finally graduated??

 

[crestcat]

Has Ricky Blanton finally graduated??

No but he was denied a Covid year

 

[gojvc]

alcoholics are very rarely charming, lovable personalities. Not saying there aren't a few, but the exception proves the rule. Add alcoholism to high pressure, self-importance, and a bad hair-do, and you get a mess. I do agree the AD and boosters had more to do with it (likely) than Sutton. The 80s, man, was a helluva era.

Bull s&$t. There was nothing wrong with his hair.