Naismith Memorial HOF – 2021 Class: Big Easts’ Val Ackerman & Jay Wright make the cut.

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

Big East Commissioner & its’ Top Coach in the Hall of Fame.

Yesterday’s announcement was evidently for the Naismith Memorial’s 2020 class. Today they announced the 2021 Class for the Hall of Fame. Included in this group are two of the Big East’s best. Commissioner Val Ackerman, as a Contributor to the game, and, Villanova Head Coach Jay Wright, as a Coach.

Go Big East!

The class also includes a number of contributors and inductees in other categories: 

Val Ackerman, the WNBA’s founding president and the first female president of USA Basketball, headlines the group of contributors inducted with the class of 2021, while Clarence Jenkins was posthumously recognized as an Early African-American Pioneer.

Congratulations to the Big East Conference, Commissioner Ackerman, and to Villanova University and Coach Wright.

Well done Big East, well done!

Legendary Creighton Coach Eddie Sutton in the Belated Naismith HoF 2020 Class.

On By @gtmoblueIn college basketball 365

Finally!!!

Today, May 15th, 2021, the legendary Creighton Basketball Coach Edward Eugene “Eddie” Sutton, is finally inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Coach was named as an honoree of the belated 2020 HOF Class. It is an honor that is long, long overdue, and an honor that should have been bestowed upon him prior to his passing a year ago (May 23, 2020).

Coach Sutton was the 1st college basketball coach to take four different school programs to the NCAA Tournament and was a perennial winner at every stop along his coaching path. Sutton was inducted into the Creighton University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. He is also in the HoF of the Univ. of Arkansas, Univ. of Kentucky, & the Oklahoma State University. His career total W/L record was 806-329, with a winning percentage of .710. His 806-329 mark in 37 years of coaching ranks seventh on the all-time Division I wins list. 

  • Creighton Athletics
  • Bluejay seniors pose with coach Eddie Sutton on October 12, 1973. Top Row, from left: Gene Harmon, Ted Wuebben, Ralph Bobik. Bottom row, from left: Jim “Bimbo” Pietro, Richie Smith and Sutton. PHIL JOHNSON/THE WORLD-HERALD Creighton University basketball. October 12, 1973
Legendary Creighton Coach Edward “Eddie” Sutton

Coach Sutton joins Creighton coaching greats Arthur August “Schabie” Schabinger (1922-35) and E.S. “Eddie” Hickey (1935-43, 1946-47) as Naismith Memorial inductees. Congratulations to Creighton University and the Big East Conference.

Posthumous congratulations to Coach Sutton and the Sutton family. A great achievement for an outstanding career for our Coach Eddie Sutton.

#RollDamnJays!