TULSA, Okla. (AP) – Patsy Sutton, the matriarch of a family of college basketball coaches, has died in Oklahoma at age 74.
The wife of Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton died Tuesday at a Tulsa hospital after suffering a stroke in December, according to officials at Ninde Brookside Chapel.
Sutton followed her husband to coaching stops at College of Southern Idaho, Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State. Eddie Sutton finished his Hall of Fame career as interim coach at San Francisco while Patsy stayed home in Oklahoma.
She was also the mother of Oral Roberts head coach Scott Sutton and assistant coach Sean Sutton, who succeeded his father as Oklahoma State’s head coach before joining his brother at Oral Roberts. A third son, Steve, is a banker in Tulsa.
“We are saddened today by the passing of Patsy Sutton. She had a positive influence on everyone she met, and was a devoted partner to her husband, Eddie, and a beloved mother to her three sons,” Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said.
“For us at Oklahoma State, she was an ambassador for our college basketball program and our university. She was loved by many and will be missed by many.”
A memorial service is scheduled for Friday at First Methodist Church in Tulsa.
“The ORU athletic family has lost a very important person today with the death of Patsy Sutton,” Oral Roberts athletic director Mike Carter said. “The Suttons have been a huge part of ORU Athletics for almost 20 years. Patsy was a mentor and friend to so many people and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Sutton family.”
Eddie Sutton was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame after going 804-328 and becoming the first coach to lead four different schools to the NCAA tournament. Scott Sutton has won more games than any coach in the history of Oral Roberts in Tulsa, where the family settled in recent years.
“We extend our deepest sympathy to Eddie, Sean, Scott and Steve at Patsy’s passing today,” Oklahoma State University president Burns Hargis said. “She was a wonderful person who was deeply devoted to her family.
“While she played a quiet role, she nevertheless played a pivotal role in the success of her husband becoming one of the most respected and successful college basketball coaches of all times. And she was a strong and wonderful mother for her three sons. She will be deeply missed by her family and the Oklahoma State family. Our prayers are with the Sutton family at this time.”
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