The Chris Eaton Foundation
In HONOR AND Loving Memory of COACH CHRIS EATON
Chris emphasized
1% improvement
each day
Chris worked extremely hard to become a head coach and to be the best coach he could be. But he also knew that baseball is a game that eventually comes to an end for every player. On and off the field, Chris talked about many fascinating events and places in the world that he wanted to learn, know, and experience.
CHRIS’S STORY
Chris had a unique passion for helping young people make themselves and their teammates into better citizens, competitors, students and athletes. In his 35 years– from 1987 to 2022– Chris endured his own struggles to become a highly successful and respected New Mexico high school baseball coach.
His passion for the game of baseball, spirited competition of all kinds, and good sportsmanship led to him being named the New Mexico High School Baseball Coach of the Year in 2022 in Class 5A and district coach of the year for two consecutive years. In only four full seasons as head coach, he led Albuquerque’s Sandia High School Matadors to back-to-back district titles for the first time in 40 years, the state championship semi-final game in 2021 and the state championship game in 2022.
But coaching was only one aspect of Chris. As a teacher, he received outstanding teacher awards annually at Sandia High, and his teams earned national recognition for their team GPA. When he was not on the baseball field or fly-fishing, playing basketball or golf, reading, researching, writing, or learning as much as he could, Chris devoted his time to helping his players with their game or personal challenges, talking with them for hours, sometimes providing a book to read, and taking on their problems as his own. Chris discussed with colleagues and others his concerns that certain students were disadvantaged in their athletic journey by being unable to afford the cost of private sports academies and travel teams.
Chris was born in Albuquerque and was raised in Corrales. He was throwing, hitting, and catching Wiffle balls at the age of three, learned the game of baseball inside and out, and played competitively at Cibola Little League in Rio Rancho, Sandia Preparatory School and Cibola High School in Albuquerque, and for four years at Eastern New Mexico University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in sports administration. In pursuing his goal of becoming a head baseball coach, he served as an assistant at the University of New Mexico, Texas A&M-Texarkana, Colorado School of Mines, West Texas A&M, Highlands University and as a co-head coach at Sandia Prep in Albuquerque. In 2018, at the age of 30, he was hired as the head baseball coach at Sandia High, one of New Mexico’s largest and most storied public high schools.
Chris was fascinated by history and was often reading, researching and writing about important or unusual historical events. On his travels around New Mexico and the United States, Chris would insist that his companions go with him to the actual sites of historic events. He would then explain the events that occurred there and the significance of them. Among many other things, he could talk in detail about the 1947 Roswell UFO crash and had trespassed on the likely area of the debris field. In recent years, he studied and visited several places that are significant in the American civil rights movement, including Ashton Villa in Galveston, Texas, the doorway to Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama, and the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.
Chris loved the outdoors, especially fly-fishing mountain streams, and usually caught more trout than his companions, not that it was a competition, of course.
Chris contributed articles to a national coaches magazine, provided color commentary on radio broadcasts of some UNM Lobo baseball games, was a broadcaster at a Connie Mack tournament in Farmington, and appeared in the television series Better Call Saul. He extensively researched and wrote about rock legend Jim Morrison’s long ago connections with New Mexico.
Chris’s family and friends laugh about Chris’s relentless desire to play “just one more” game, especially if he had lost the previous game. Today we wish we could play “just one more.” Chris gave everything he could for as long as he could. In the end, he lost his battle with a devastating mental illness and died on November 21, 2022, at the age of 35.
Being young at heart himself, Chris connected with his students and players through an emphasis on mutual trust and loyalty. He made it his mission to put young people first and focus on improving their talents, skills, and well-being. Chris fought for them, but he also pushed them to become better than they believed they could. He gave them confidence. He gave them a belief in something greater than themselves. He inspired passion and a love for being not only a great player on the field, but more importantly, an impactful person off the field.
See slideshow of photos of Chris’s colorful life here.
About THE CHRIS EATON FOUNDATION
The Chris Eaton Foundation is created under the New Mexico Nonprofit Corporation Act to fund an annual monetary scholarship award, and assist in raising awareness of healthy living resources to help mitigate mental health issues facing young people today and providing information to assist young people and families in finding help.
The Foundation solicits and gratefully accepts donations to pursue its goals. The Foundation is being operated by family and friends of Chris on a volunteer basis. It has no employees, and volunteers and family members are not paid for their time and efforts. All donations are used to fund the Scholarship and assist in raising awareness of healthy living resources.
Before the Chris Eaton Foundation was granted Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status under Federal law, it partnered with the APS Education Foundation to ensure tax benefits for donations as permitted by law. Tax-deductible donations now may be made directly to the Chris Eaton Foundation.
Young people today face challenges that are in many ways unique and unlike the kinds of challenges faced by their parents, grandparents or other generations. Many experts believe that social media and a constant flood of information through the internet have contributed to increased rates of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety among teenagers and other young people. In addition, young people today experienced a worldwide pandemic and social lockdown unlike anything in the past 100 years. According to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in 6 U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year. 50% of all mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
The good news is that more help is available now than ever before. You do not have to deal with problems alone.
Many nationally-known athletes have publicly announced their mental health struggles and have sought help. A few examples include world class gymnasts Simone Biles and Aly Raisman, swimmer Michael Phelps (the most decorated Olympian in history), tennis champions Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, fighter Ronda Rousey, NBA players Kevin Love and DeMar DeRosan, soccer star Abby Wambach, MLB baseball player Justin Duchsherer, NFL player Ricky Williams, and many, many others.
Please reach out to a family member, teacher, coach, counselor, teammate or friend if you are feeling overwhelmed. Problems are almost always temporary and can be resolved with the help of others.
Free Webinars Provided by the Grief Center 2024-25
The “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” presentations are a series of 1 hour talks for any caring adult interacting with a grieving child – as a guardian or community member. Based on the book Parenting Through Grief (written by Jade Richardson Bock and Dr. Craig Pierce), these free webinars provide a framework for how to navigate parenting and caring for grieving children living in the shadow of loss.
Register online at www.griefnm.org/events
All presentations are 1 hour long, free of charge, and provided via Zoom. Thank you to the Office of Student and Adolescent Health (New Mexico Department of Health) for sponsoring this training series.
Date Time Topic:
7/18/24 1:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (for any caring adult)
9/19/24 1:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (Emphasis on suicide loss)
11/21/24 1:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (Thriving through the Holidays)
2/20/25 1:00pm “How to be a Good Grief Friend” (for adults who know grieving adults)
4/10/25 5:00pm “Supporting Grieving Students” (for any school employee)
5/8/25 5:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (Emphasis on Accidental Overdose loss)
5/22/25 1:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (for any caring adult)
6/5/25 5:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (Emphasis on homicide loss)
6/19/25 1:00pm “Grieving Children, Grieving Families” (Emphasis on supporting grief in schools, sports and scouts)
About the presenter: Mickey Kivitz, Director of Education, mickey.kivitz@griefnm.org
Mickey Kivitz, M.S., is the Director of Education and has been with the Grief Center of New Mexico as a volunteer since 2015, joining the staff in 2024. He has served as a volunteer Bereavement Facilitator for Teen, Tween and Adult groups, and participated in Camp Corazon as a group leader and featured speaker. Mickey has taught “Grief 101,” an introductory course for adults looking to better understand how to process grief and loss. He has participated in the New Mexico “Before I Die…” festival as a featured speaker on the Understanding Grief Panel, as well as The Speaker’s Bureau, where he provides trainings on how to give notification of a death and how foster children deal with grief. Mickey’s grief journey began in earnest after he turned 25 when he delivered a eulogy for his younger brother who died 3 days before his 22nd birthday.
Board of Directors of the CEF
Michael Eaton, President
Michael was raised in Corrales and Albuquerque, with his brother Chris at his side, teaching him how to play, compete, explore and learn. Michael graduated from Sandia Prep in 2011 and the University of San Francisco in 2015 before obtaining a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico in 2017. He played varsity baseball at Prep from the eighth grade on, and then at Division 1 USF for three years, and for his hometown UNM Lobos while obtaining an MBA as a grad student. Michael was a West Coast Conference Player of the Week, and was named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic Team, the Academic All-Mountain West team, and was a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award winner. In 2016, he helped the Lobos win the Mountain West Conference championship. He is employed as a treasury sales associate with JP Morgan Chase in Scottsdale. Michael plays golf as often as he can, including with his pro golfer girlfriend Alice, fly-fishes mountain streams when his dad can get him back to New Mexico, and is devoted to learning about and practicing healthy living through study, nutrition and exercise.
Gail Eaton
Gail is Chris’s and Michael’s mom. She grew up in Southern California, received her bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara in 1977 and her master’s degree in Communicative Disorders from UNM in 1979. She worked as a speech-language pathologist for over 37 years in the Albuquerque Public Schools system and semi-retired in 2017. Gail continues to see several clients and is a volunteer reading tutor in the Albuquerque Reads program. Although Gail never participated in competitive high school or college sports, she has always been an avid sports fan and loves following and attending sporting events, especially baseball and basketball. When not walking her two, eight-year-old energetic golden retrievers, Cal and Brooks, or walking with friends in the bosque and foothills, or playing Pickleball as often as possible, Gail enjoys cooking, reading, going to museums, playing board games, and watching movies.
Scott Eaton
When Chris and Michael were young, their father Scott contacted the Mullany family at The Wiffle Ball Inc. in Connecticut (grampa Mullany invented the Wiffle ball) to purchase Wiffle balls in bulk because Chris and Michael would go through retail store two-packs of Wiffle balls quickly. After Little League, Chris and Michael easily surpassed Scott in their baseball knowledge and abilities, and Scott became a fan, attending hundreds of baseball games from Little League through college and then cheering on Chris’s Sandia High Matadors. A native of Roswell, Scott graduated from New Mexico Military Institute, the University of New Mexico in 1975 and UNM Law School in 1982. After a 40-year career in the law, he spends time these days doing odds and ends, fishing and camping with his young Labrador dog KC, participating in a couple of support groups, and learning the hazards of pickleball.
Kara Kinney
Kara currently serves as the Director of Development with the UNM Lobo Club. In this role she oversees the annual giving team and helps spearhead raising funds for Lobo student-athlete scholarships. Kara is a former collegiate athlete and played soccer at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. While at BC, Kara met her now husband, CJ Kinney, who played Baseball for the Ravens. CJ played baseball with Michael Eaton at Sandia Prep and was on a summer baseball team coached by Chris Eaton. After college Kara and CJ lived in Dallas. During their time there Chris was outspoken about Kara & CJ moving to Albuquerque and was thrilled when the move finally occurred. Kara also serves on the Board for the 100 Club of New Mexico. Kara and CJ have one daughter, JJ Kinney.
Brook Laskey
Brook says he was a below average Little League catcher who developed a life-long love for the game as he chased passed ball after passed ball to the backstop in the early 1980s. He claims his coaching skills weren’t much better, which led to Chris Eaton answering Brook’s wife’s secret Craigslist ad seeking private baseball lessons for their son, Luke. That watershed moment led to Chris becoming the primary baseball influence in the lives of both Luke (a first team all-state outfielder with Albuquerque Academy) and Brook. He is married to Sarah Laskey and they have a daughter, Ella, in addition to Luke. Brook is employed as a lawyer who specializes in fire and explosion litigation across the country. Brook graduated from Penn State University in 1992 and Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1996.
Camilla Serrano
Camilla Serrano is a Senior Vice President and Market Leader for the Wealth Management Department at New Mexico Bank & Trust in Albuquerque. She has had a long association with all things baseball and softball, having served as the District 5 Administrator of Little League International for 19 years. Additionally, Camilla was a member of the Little League International Advisory Board and the Little League International Board of Directors. A lifelong baseball fan, she remains an avid supporter of the game and has consistently followed the paths and careers of many local players. Camilla is honored to be a member of the Board of Directors of the CEF and looks forward to helping it grow and find its place in the Albuquerque community. She is married to her husband Eddie and they have three adult sons—Jose, Simon and Miguel, and one grandson, Lucas.
Paul Huitt
Paul spent 29 years teaching and coaching baseball at the collegiate and high school levels, including 21 years as the head coach at Sandia Prep. His teams won six state championships, including two when Michael played for Sundevils under Coach Huitt. In 2023, Paul was inducted into the New Mexico High School Baseball Hall of Fame. Paul continues to teach PE and coach middle school sports at Sandia Prep. He and his wife Noel enjoy working out and traveling during their free time. They are the parents of Kiersten Huitt Brown. As an aside, Paul was the oldest player in the first annual Chris Eaton Memorial 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament last November, was one of the highest scorers among the 30 players, and also served as the facilities and maintenance staff for the tournament.
Tributes to Chris
“Chris was one of the most passionate men I’ve ever met. Deeply passionate. Deeply passionate people like Chris are rare. Extremely passionate people like Chris march to a different drum. Their gift is their passion and their curse is their passion. They see promise and they see hope in every one of us, including themselves. They hunger for adventure and they want to share it. They give their heart and their soul to every one they meet with.”
— RAY BIRMINGHAM, UNM Baseball head coach (2008-2021), New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame, Eastern New Mexico University Board of Regents (speaker at Chris’s Celebration of Life service in December 2022)
“Chris helped give me the opportunity of a lifetime: play college baseball and get an engineering degree. On my recruiting trip to Colorado School of Mines, Chris and I played long toss and though I tried to be 100% serious, his antics and laughs had me being a kid on a field, allowing me to relax and be myself. Though I never played for Chris directly, he was still my coach. Talking about life, laughing, and hitting with Chris was a privilege I’ll never forget.”
– MIKEY GANGWISH, former baseball player at Colorado School of Mines
“Chris cared about every player who he coached. He knew how to make you truly believe in yourself on and off the field. Chris is one of the reasons I got into coaching and it’s because of the energy and passion he exuded every day. He always seemed to know how to reach guys whether it be by cracking a joke, telling a story, or simply putting his hand on your shoulder. People like Chris don’t come around often and I feel fortunate to have known him. He remains a truly influential figure in the lives of hundreds of athletes.”
– MIKE SNOW, video assistant, Los Angeles Angels, played for Chris at Sandia Prep
"Chris was one of the most unique people I've ever known. I first met Chris when he was the graduate assistant coach for the UNM baseball team. What I noticed about Chris was his desire to learn. He made every attempt to learn from anyone he could so that he could pass that knowledge along someday. I recognized the knowledge he already had for the game, but his humility in that and his drive to learn more was inspiring. Years later, Chris and I became closer friends, and I got to see his uniqueness shine. It was always a treat to go play a golf round with Chris as I'd hear about his pride in the Sandia Baseball team GPA or about his research on rock legend Jim Morrison. No matter the circumstance, when I saw Chris, I could always count on being seen, heard, and encouraged."
— ALEX ALBRITTON, UNM Baseball infielder (2010-2013), drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2013
“Chris is and will always be family to me. He cared deeply for all of our players at Sandia Prep. He was always willing to spend extra time with the players that wanted to improve their baseball skills. He was more than a coach!! He was a friend, mentor, leader, motivator and much more to his players. He would go the extra mile to show each student athlete that they mattered. His legacy will continue through so many young men in New Mexico.”
– PAUL HUITT, 2023 New Mexico High School Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Sandia Prep head coach for 21 years (1999-2020), 6x New Mexico High School State Baseball Champion (2001, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2016), former University of New Mexico baseball player, 2017 National High School Athletic Coaches Association National Coach of the Year Finalist
“One of the most impactful things from when I was playing for Chris was that he would always express how much he loved us. It brought a lot of comfort being so close to your coach and I think that is what allowed us to play so calmly on the field. And the best part about Chris is that he was always himself around everyone and especially his players. So he allowed us to become comfortable with him as a coach and as a person which also allowed us to be very vulnerable with him. Talking to him was like therapy. No matter what your problems were he'd always have his ears open because he knew the importance of his role as a coach which was much more than being labeled just as a "coach". He was a friend or brother and sometimes even an enemy when it came time to get competitive. Throughout everything, Chris never allowed me to fail, which was very important to me in becoming the man I am today. He never allowed me to quit even when times got extremely hard. I will forever remember Chris as the person who saved my passion for the game of baseball and also the person who saved me from never giving up.”
– JUAN PABLO PORTILLO, played for Chris at Sandia High School
“Chris Eaton was the single most impactful Coach and person I have ever had in my entire life. He treated me, and everyone else like family. He was also the first Coach that ACTUALLY believed in me and gave me opportunities that not most coaches would have. He showed us our dreams, whatever they may be were possible and helped show us the path to it. Not only was he our coach in baseball he would show us the right way through life. Told us to always be around the right people, do good in school, and helped with our confidence as high schoolers which isn’t easy at such a young age. I would not be the man I am today without Christopher and I am truly blessed to have him come into my life as a teacher and a best friend.”
– STUART JARAMILLO, played for Chris at Sandia High School
“Chris gave his all to others. He brought the best out of everyone around him and took the time to push his players to reach their potential. Going out of his way to get to know each one. Always driving you to pursue being the best at everything you do. I truly believe the values he taught me have molded me into the person I am today and I’ll be forever grateful. I hope we all make him proud.”
– JACOB KMATZ, currently pitches at Oregon State University, played for Chris at Sandia High School
“On June 17, 2020, Chris and I drove from Green Bay to Galveston. During our trip, I was reminded of how much Chris cared about his students and players, and how passionate he was about teaching and coaching them. He also showcased his passion for history, especially African American history. As we drove, we stopped at a few African American historical landmarks. My dear friend had no shortage of information when it came to history. Chris spoke about how much he loved his players and students and how he wanted the best for each of them individually. He spoke about the love he had for his family and how he cherished the time he was able to spend with them. I’m grateful for the experiences Chris and I were able to share. Over the course of our adventure, Chris showed why he was such a joy to be around, evident from the laughs and stories we shared. Chris was a good listener and he consistently made me feel like he cared about me and my well-being. I’m grateful for the conversations and the experiences he and I shared together. I’m grateful to have had the honor to call him my friend.”
— WENDEL DAVIS, Defensive Quality Control Coach, Green Bay Packers