Mark Eaton

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Other people|otherPeople}} Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox basketball biography Mark Edward Eaton<ref name=obit/> (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he was twice voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1985, 1989) and was a five-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team. The Template:Convert Eaton became one of the best defensive centers in NBA history. He led the league in blocks four times and holds the NBA single-season records for blocks (456) and blocked shots per game average (5.6), as well as career blocked shots per game (3.5). His Template:Abbr 53 was retired by the Jazz.

Eaton was a reserve on his high school basketball team before graduating and working as an auto mechanic. He was discovered by an assistant coach at Cypress College, who persuaded Eaton to enroll at the community college and play basketball. Eaton transferred to play college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, but he was used sparingly. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz as a long-term project. Eaton helped transform the Jazz from a last-place team into a perennial playoff team. When he retired from playing in 1994, he ranked second in the NBA in career blocks behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Early lifeEdit

Mark Edward Eaton was born on January 24, 1957, in Inglewood, California,<ref name=ap_05302021>Template:Cite news</ref> and grew up in Southern California. His father, Bud, was a diesel mechanic instructor and stood Template:Convert tall, while Eaton's mother, Delores, was Template:Convert.<ref name=carr_01121979/> Despite his height, Eaton was more interested in playing water polo than basketball.<ref name=hersch_05011989/> As a senior at Westminster High School in Orange County, he stood Template:Convert and weighed Template:Convert but was uncoordinated, not very muscular, and relegated to a backup role on the basketball team.<ref name=hersch_05011989/><ref name=carr_01121979>Template:Cite news</ref> "The coaches didn't know how to teach me to play big, and I didn't know how to play big," said Eaton.<ref name=crowe_04092007>Template:Cite news</ref>

College careerEdit

After graduating from high school in 1975, Eaton attended the Arizona Automotive Institute in Glendale and graduated as an automotive service technician.<ref name=hersch_05011989/><ref name=crowe_04092007/> He returned to Orange County and worked as an auto mechanic, making $20,000 a year, when he was eventually discovered by Tom Lubin while repairing cars in Anaheim in April 1977.<ref name=hersch_05011989>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=crowe_04092007/> Lubin, a chemistry professor, was an assistant basketball coach at Cypress College. He had previously discovered Swen Nater, who did not play in high school but went on to a long, pro career.<ref name=vescey_01181984/> Lubin's uncle, Frank, played on the 1936 U.S. Olympic basketball team.<ref name=crowe_04092007/> Lubin's encouragement led Eaton to enroll at the community college in 1978 and try out for its basketball team.<ref name=hersch_05011989/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

After his freshman year at Cypress, Eaton was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the fifth round of the 1979 NBA draft with the 107th pick.<ref name=hersch_05011989/> He was eligible to be drafted because he was already four years removed from high school. However, he opted to return to college basketball.<ref name=whitfield_01111983>Template:Cite news</ref> Eaton developed into a solid junior college player under head coach Don Johnson. He averaged 14.3 points per game in two seasons at Cypress and led the school to the California junior college title as a sophomore in 1980.<ref name=hersch_05011989/>

Eaton transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1980, but did not see much action in his two seasons with the Bruins.<ref name=whitfield_01111983/> He played sparingly under head coach Larry Brown in 1980–81. The tallest players in the starting lineup were Darren Daye and Cliff Pruitt at Template:Convert,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but Eaton was too slow for the team's fast-paced offense.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In Eaton's senior year in 1981–82, new coach Larry Farmer vowed to give him a shot to start, but heralded freshman Stuart Gray got the nod instead.<ref name=whitfield_01111983/> Eaton played just 41 total minutes that season,<ref name=vescey_01181984/> averaging 1.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11 games.<ref name=srcoll/> Farmer did not play him at all towards the end of the season and did not allow him to travel with the team on their last road trip to Oregon and Oregon State.<ref name=whitfield_01111983/><ref name=digiovanna_02041993>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=campbell_01311989>Template:Cite news</ref> "If I ever felt cheated, that was the time I felt the worst," recalled Eaton in 1985. "I had worked so hard and it wasn't like I was causing any problems."<ref name=littwin_01061985/>

Eaton was initially disappointed with his inability to play effectively in college. At a summer pickup game, Wilt Chamberlain saw his frustration, and encouraged Eaton to focus on protecting the basket, getting rebounds, and passing the ball to quicker guards, rather than trying to compete with smaller, quicker players in scoring. Eaton cited Chamberlain's advice as the turning point in his basketball career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:YouTube, motivational speech given by Mark Eaton.</ref>

Professional careerEdit

Because of his lack of playing time at UCLA, few NBA teams had an interest in Eaton after he finished his college career. He paid for two tryout camps, but only received an offer of $15,000 to play in Israel and another for $25,000 in Monte Carlo.<ref name=campbell_01311989/> However, the Utah Jazz, who finished in last place the prior season,<ref name=hemphill_031996/> saw him as a potentially dominant defender and selected him as a long-term project in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft with the 72nd overall pick.<ref name=vescey_01181984/><ref name=campbell_01311989/><ref name=br/> Utah coach Frank Layden quipped, "Like [former University of Utah coach] Jack Gardner said, 'You can't teach height.'"<ref name=vescey_01181984/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Also the team's general manager, Layden discouraged Eaton from playing in Europe and signed him to a five-year contract, with the first season guaranteed at $45,000, for a total $570,000.<ref name=vescey_01181984/><ref name=whitfield_01111983/><ref name=benson_11142010>Template:Cite news</ref>

Eaton had worn No. 35 at UCLA, but the number was already taken on the Jazz by Darrell Griffith, prompting Eaton to choose the reversed No. 53.<ref name=hemphill_031996/> Entering the NBA, Eaton's goal was to become a journeyman backup.<ref name=littwin_01061985/> He made an immediate impact as a rookie, starting 32 games and replacing Danny Schayes after the cash-strapped Jazz traded the center mid-season.<ref name=walden_05292021/><ref name=hersch_05011989/> Eaton finished the season with a then-franchise record 275 blocked shots while averaging only 19 minutes per game.<ref name=vescey_01181984>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His 3.4 blocks per game ranked third in the NBA, behind Atlanta's Tree Rollins and San Diego's Bill Walton.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Jazz placed Eaton on a six-day-a-week program in the offseason. Layden said they treated him "like a high school kid as far as basketball skills are concerned".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Eaton continued to improve in his second season. In 82 games in 1983–84, he grabbed a team-leading 595 rebounds and blocked 351 shots (breaking his own franchise record). His 4.28 blocks per game led the NBA, well ahead of Rollins (who finished second with 3.60 blocks per game).<ref name=br/> During the season, he failed in his attempt to block the hook shot which gave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar his 31,421st point to break the NBA career scoring record held by Chamberlain.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Eaton's strong defense helped the Jazz improve from 30–52 in his rookie season to 45–37,<ref name=kragthorpe_09291994>Template:Cite news</ref> winning their first Midwest Division title and making their first playoff appearance.<ref name=hanlon_02282014>Template:Cite news</ref>

In Eaton's third season in 1984–85, he blocked 456 shots, shattering the NBA record for most blocked shots in a single season set during the 1973–74 season by Elmore Smith, who had blocked 393 shots for the Los Angeles Lakers. Eaton averaged 5.56 blocks per game, an NBA single-season record that was more than double the league's second-ranked shot-blocker that season (Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon with 2.68 blocks per game).<ref name=ap_05302021/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=hemphill_031996>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, Eaton averaged 11.3 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in the league in that category.<ref name=br/> "We had no idea that he would develop the way he has," said Layden during the season.<ref name=littwin_01061985>Template:Cite news</ref> Eaton was not on the All-Star ballot that year after being one of the final cuts.<ref name=littwin_01061985/> For his efforts, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and was honored as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.<ref name=br/> On April 26, 1985, Eaton had ten blocks in a 96–94 loss to the Rockets,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> becoming the first NBA player to record ten blocks in a playoff game (later tied by Olajuwon and Andrew Bynum).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Although he was not a significant offensive contributor, the Jazz relied heavily on Eaton for his shot-blocking, rebounding, and occasional "tippy toe" dunks. With the emergence of superstars Karl Malone and John Stockton, the Jazz became one of the best teams in the NBA. Eaton's stifling defense was a major factor in Utah's success. He continued to rank among NBA leaders in blocked shots, leading the league in 1986–87 and 1987–88.<ref name=br/> On November 17, 1987, Eaton set a career high with 25 rebounds in a 120–110 win over the Denver Nuggets.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1988–89, he averaged 10.3 rebounds per game (seventh in the NBA) and 3.84 blocks per game (second behind Golden State's Manute Bol).<ref name=hersch_05011989/> He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career and received his third selection to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.<ref name=br/> In addition, he was chosen to play in the 1989 NBA All-Star Game,<ref name=hersch_05011989/> joining teammates Malone and Stockton on the Western Conference team. It was the first time that the Jazz had three players in the All-Star Game.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In the 1989 playoffs, the second-seeded Jazz were upset in the first round 3–0 by the seventh-seeded Warriors. Golden State coach Don Nelson spread out his offense and avoided going inside against Eaton, and they played most of the series with a small lineup in which their tallest players on the court were Template:Convert Larry Smith or Ben McDonald or even Template:Convert Rod Higgins.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Opponents were increasingly playing with smaller lineups, forcing Eaton to guard a quicker player who would draw him out to the perimeter and seek to drive past him. Utah coach Jerry Sloan countered by decreasing Eaton's playing time and employing his own small lineup with backup center Mike Brown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=digiovanna_02041993/> In 1991–92, there was speculation that the more offensive-minded Brown would start the season at center, but Sloan stuck with Eaton.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Eaton's playing time dropped to 25 minutes per game from 32 minutes in 1990–91.<ref name=digiovanna_02041993/>

After missing just nine games in his first 10 seasons,<ref name=digiovanna_02041993/> Eaton was hindered by knee and back injuries late in his career. His rebounding and shot-blocking averages declined. During the 1992–93 season, knee surgery and back problems limited him to 64 games, averaging 17.3 minutes per game, both career lows. A degenerative back ailment forced him to drop out of training camp and miss the 1993–94 season;<ref name="latimes-1994-09-29"/> his contract expired at the end of the season.<ref name=kragthorpe_09291994/> After therapy failed to correct the problem, he announced his retirement from basketball in September 1994.<ref name="latimes-1994-09-29">Template:Cite news</ref>

LegacyEdit

Eaton spent his entire 11-year NBA career with the Utah Jazz, helping transform the franchise from perennial 50-game losers to perennial 50-game winners.<ref name=hemphill_031996/> After going 30–52 in his first year, they made the playoffs in each of his 10 other seasons,<ref name=benson_11142010/> beginning a run of 20 straight postseason appearances for the Jazz.<ref name=cwik_05292021>Template:Cite news</ref> In 875 games, he scored 5,216 points, grabbed 6,939 rebounds, and blocked 3,064 shots.<ref name=br/> At the time of his retirement, he ranked second all-time in league history in total blocked shots, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career total of 3,189.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Blocks were not recorded as an official statistic until Abdul-Jabbar's fifth NBA season in 1973–74.<ref name=hemphill_031996/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Eaton is the NBA's all-time leader in blocks per game, with a career average of 3.50.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a six-season span from his second season through his seventh (1983–1989), he led the league in blocks four times and was the runner-up twice while averaging 4.3 blocks per games over 488 contests.<ref name=hemphill_031996/> He never averaged more than 10 points per game in a season, which frustrated Utah fans after his scoring tapered off following a career high of 9.7 in 1984–85.<ref name=kragthorpe_09291994/><ref name=hemphill_031996/>

To honor his contributions to the team, the Utah Jazz retired Eaton's No. 53 in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010, he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame along with former Jazz player Tom Chambers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014, Eaton had his jersey retired at Westminster High School and also at Cypress College, along with Swen Nater and head coach Don Johnson.<ref name=hanlon_02282014/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career statisticsEdit

Template:NBA player statistics legend

NBAEdit

Regular seasonEdit

Source:<ref name=br>Template:Cite basketball-reference</ref> Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 81 || 32 || 18.9 || .414 || .000 || .656 || 5.7 || 1.4 || .3 || 3.4 || 4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 78 || 26.1 || .466 || .000 || .593 || 7.3 || 1.4 || .3 || style="background:#cfecec;"|4.3* || 5.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 34.3 || .449 || Template:Sort || .712 || 11.3 || 1.5 || .4 || style="background:#e0cef2;"|5.6Template:Double-dagger || 9.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 80 || 80 || 31.9 || .470 || Template:Sort || .604 || 8.4 || 1.3 || .4 || 4.6 || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 79 || 79 || 31.7 || .400 || Template:Sort || .657 || 8.8 || 1.3 || .5 || style="background:#cfecec;"|4.1* || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 33.3 || .418 || Template:Sort || .623 || 8.7 || .7 || .5 || style="background:#cfecec;"|3.7* || 7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 35.5 || .462 || Template:Sort || .660 || 10.3 || 1.0 || .5 || 3.8 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || style="background:#cfecec;"|82* || 27.8 || .527 || Template:Sort || .669 || 7.3 || .5 || .4 || 2.5 || 4.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 80 || 80 || 32.3 || .579 || Template:Sort || .634 || 8.3 || .6 || .5 || 2.4 || 5.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 81 || 81 || 25.0 || .446 || Template:Sort || .598 || 6.1 || .5 || .4 || 2.5 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Template:Nbay |style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 64 || 57 || 17.3 || .546 || Template:Sort || .700 || 4.1 || .3 || .3 || 1.2 || 2.8 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 875 || 815 || 28.8 || .458 || .000 || .649 || 7.9 || 1.0 || .4 || style="background:#e0cef2;"|3.5Template:Double-dagger || 6.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|All-Star | 1 || 0 || 9.0 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 5.0 || Template:Sort || Template:Sort || 2.0 || — Template:S-end

PlayoffsEdit

Source:<ref name=br/> Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"|1984 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 11 || Template:Sort || 23.1 || .512 || Template:Sort || .471 || 6.9 || .8 || .5 || 3.1 || 4.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1985 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 5 || 5 || 31.6 || .353 || Template:Sort || .714 || 9.0 || 1.0 || .8 || 5.8 || 5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1986 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 4 || 4 || 39.3 || .491 || Template:Sort || .667 || 9.0 || 2.5 || .3 || 4.5 || 14.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1987 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 5 || 5 || 38.6 || .463 || Template:Sort || .640 || 11.0 || .6 || .2 || 4.2 || 10.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1988 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 11 || 11 || 41.9 || .477 || Template:Sort || .639 || 9.4 || 1.2 || 1.1 || 3.1 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1989 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 3 || 3 || 33.0 || .471 || Template:Sort || .818 || 11.0 || .3 || .3 || .7 || 8.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1990 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 5 || 5 || 25.6 ||.529 || Template:Sort || .200 || 6.0 || .0 || .6 || 2.8 || 3.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1991 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 9 || 9 || 28.3 || .516 || Template:Sort || .583 || 6.2 || .6 || .1 || 1.4 || 4.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1992 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 16 || 16 || 29.6 || .565 || Template:Sort || .778 || 5.6 || .3 || .4 || 2.3 || 4.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1993 | style="text-align:left;"|Utah | 5 || 5 || 23.4 || .526 || Template:Sort || .500 || 6.6 || .4 || .0 || 1.8 || 4.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 74 || 63 || 31.0 || .489 || Template:Sort || .639 || 7.5 || .7 || .5 || 2.8 || 6.1 Template:S-end

CollegeEdit

Source:<ref name=srcoll>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1980–81 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 19 || 0 || 8.2 || .459 || – || .294 || 2.6 || .2 || .2 || 1.1 || 2.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1981–82 | style="text-align:left;"| UCLA | 11 || 0 || 3.7 || .417 || – || .800 || 2.0 || .1 || .1 || .5 || 1.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 30 || 0 || 6.5 || .449 || – || .409 || 2.4 || .1 || .1 || .9 || 1.8 Template:S-end

Post-playing careerEdit

After his retirement, Eaton worked for KJZZ-TV in Salt Lake City, providing color commentary and analysis for television broadcasts of Utah Jazz and University of Utah basketball games.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also hosted a radio talk show before Jazz games.<ref name=mcleod_01032001>Template:Cite news</ref>

Eaton was a partner in Salt Lake City-area restaurants Tuscany and Franck's.<ref name=flores_05292021>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=cwik_05292021/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He was a president/board member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) from 1997 to 2007.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was also a founder and chairman of the Mark Eaton Standing Tall for Youth organization, which provided sports and outdoor activities for at-risk children in Utah. He was also a motivational speaker,<ref name=crowe_04092007/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and published the book The Four Commitments of a Winning Team.<ref name=flores_05292021/>

In the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Jazz player Jeremy Evans jumped over a seated Eaton to dunk the ball.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In later years, Eaton became a mentor to Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who joined him as the only other player in the franchise's history to be named defensive player of the year.<ref name=ap_05302021/>

Personal lifeEdit

Eaton married his first wife, Marci, in 1980. A registered nurse who trained in Los Angeles, she worked as a nurse in Santa Monica to support him while he was attending college.<ref name=hersch_05011989/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Eatons had two sons, Nicolas and Douglas.<ref name=mcleod_01032001/>

While living in Utah in Jeremy Ranch in the 1980s, Eaton ordered a mountain bike suitable for his body frame, and he biked a number of the region's first mountain bike trails.<ref name=benson_05292021>Template:Cite news</ref> Around 2016, he began riding a custom French-built road bike for tall cyclists, which came outfitted with Template:Convert wheels.<ref name=benson_05292021/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 28, 2021, Eaton biked with a neighbor to lunch. A few hours after returning home, Eaton told his wife, Teri, that he was going for a short ride in the neighborhood.<ref name=benson_05292021/> He died after a bicycle accident about a block from his home in Park City, Utah. He was found unresponsive by a passerby and was pronounced dead at the hospital. He was 64 years old.<ref name=obit>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=benson_05292021/><ref name=walden_05292021>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The sheriff said that there were no witnesses to the incident nor any indication that a vehicle was involved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>