Eaton was a stereotypical late bloomer. He was not heavily recruited and ended up going to an automotive repair school in Arizona and becoming a mechanic. He was discovered by an assists for Cyprus Junior college and played two years there before transferring to UCLA. Eaton rarely played for the Bruins appearing in just 30 games in two seasons averaging less than 7 minutes a game.

The Utah Jazz took a flyer on the seven-foot-four big man and drafted him in the 4th round of the 1982 NBA draft. Eaton’s size translated great into the NBA. He played more for the Jazz in his first month there than he did his entire career with UCLA. Eaton became a starter late in the season and would remain a starter for most of his career.

Eaton lead the NBA in blocks his second year in the NBA with 4.3 a game. His third season in the NBA was his best when he averaged just under 10 points a game, a career high 11 rebounds and an NBA record high 5.6 blocks a game. These numbers helped him earn his first defensive player of the year award.

With the additions of John Stockton and Karl Malone in the mid 1980s Eaton’s scoring role dropped, as did his blocks because of the better perimeter defense. Eaton however kept his block average at 4 or above for six season from 84-89. Eaton won another defensive player of the year award in 1989 and also made his only all-star appearance that year.

Eaton’s play really dropped off in the 1990s, yet he remained a solid player he just no longer had the speed to keep up in the NBA. Injuries really caused him problems his last season in the NBA. Eaton had had back problems through-out his career but they had never kept him out of many games. But in 92-93 he played in only 67 games.

Eaton retired after the 92-93 season owning averages of 6 points, 8 rebounds and nearly 4 blocks a game. His number 53 was retired by the Jazz in 1994.

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