SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah–A man who was literally the biggest name to appear before credit union audiences has died.
Mark Eaton, the 7-foot-4-inch former center for the NBA’s Utah Jazz who was twice the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was found on the side of the road after apparently crashing his bike in Summit County, Utah. Eaton was taken to a hospital, where he later died. Police said they do not believe a vehicle was involved in the accident. Eaton was 64.
Eaton has made regular appearances as a speaker before credit union groups. Upon retiring from the Jazz—his No. 53 jersey was among the first to be retired by the team—he became a professional speaker addressing how companies can improve employee engagement.
Eaton would share his own personal story of having quit basketball and gone to work in a tire repair shop when a college coach driving by happened to see him. The coach turned around and, as Eaton, related, came in to ask him “the one question I hate—do you play basketball.”
That coach talked Eaton into giving the game another try—the player said he had come to despise the game of basketball while high school. Eaton eventually transferred to UCLA before playing a dozen years in the NBA.
‘Do Your Job’
Eaton drew on his career and used basketball analogies when speaking to credit unions and other organizations about teamwork, using a theme of “do your job.”
“The only way you can improve employee engagement and be a better manager is to learn to play to your strengths, to lean to stay in your lane, not do everyone’s else’s job, but understand you have unique skills that you bring to the party that you need to leverage first and foremost. That’s why people follow you,” Eaton told groups. “The first thing I learned is that if there is something that is different about you or makes you uncomfortable, it may be your greatest asset.”
A clip of some of Eaton’s remarks before an audience can be found here.