Murphy John Sutter was born and raised in Marion, Ind. By the time he was a freshman in high school, he was head and shoulders above the crowd – literally. He was destined to reach for higher things.
He started playing basketball in sixth and seventh grades. By the time Sutter started high school, he was a towering 6 feet, 4 inches tall.
His interest in basketball was due in part to his father, who also played ball at Marion High School. In 1967, he was the team’s leading scorer, among the top 100 high school players in the United States and named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
When asked if there was anything else he excelled at during his school years, Sutter said, “From 1961-67, I was the Indiana state boys champion and the No. 1 ranked player in Indiana, in high school.”
After high school, he pursued an athletic scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans. In 1970, Sutter was named an All-American and selected into the Tulane Sports Hall of Fame. He was then drafted into the NBA and played for the Indiana Pacers from 1971-74.
When asked who was his toughest opponent in college, he said, “Pistol Pete Maravich from LSU. He was a basketball genius.”
Sutter left the Pacers due to injury. While playing on the USA National team, he developed a reputation in Europe and received offers to play from teams in Italy.
In 1972, he played on the U.S. National team in Russia and Europe. In 1974. he moved to Sardinia, Italy. where he played in the pro league for seven years.
Sutter said of his career playing basketball, “I was blessed with being 6-foot-9 and pretty much made basketball my life until age 30.”
After years of reaching for the hoop, he went on to receive a master’s degree in psychology at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Sutter then became an instructor at Florida Keys Community College and opened a mental health counseling office at Island Community Church for 15 years.
He spent 37 years in the Florida Keys, where he was a full-time backcountry fishing guide. His Tarpon catches alone numbered about 5,000. After retiring from guiding, he went on to work for the Village of Islamorada as a public works, parks and recreation, and marina director.
Since 2017, Sutter and his wife of 40 years, Michele, have lived in Cherokee County. They have four grown children. He enjoys gardening, playing guitar and appreciating the natural beauty the area has to offer.