Wikipedia

Jake Eaton

Jake Eaton (born February 11, 1981) an American former professional football quarterback. He is currently a high school athletic director in Proctor, Vermont. He played in the af2 with the Cape Fear Wildcats in 2004 and the Manchester Wolves in 2005. He went on to the Arena Football League in 2006 and played for the Orlando Predators before retiring in 2009. Eaton was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Jake Eaton
refer to caption
Eaton with the Orlando Predators in 2007
Personal information
Born: (1981-02-11) February 11, 1981 (age 43)
Rutland, Vermont
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Rutland
College:Maine
Position:Quarterback
Career history
Career Arena League statistics
Comp. / Att.:79 / 118
Passing yards:958
TD-INT:16-7
QB Rating:100.88
Rushing TD:2
Stats at ArenaFan.com

Early life

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Eaton was born on February 11, 1981, in Rutland, Vermont.[1] During his childhood, Eaton lived with both of his parents after their divorce.[2] He competed in athletics and softball before attending Rutland High School. At Rutland, Eaton totaled 1,582 points in basketball.[3] As a gridiron football player, Eaton amassed over 5,000 passing yards and over 50 touchdowns.[4]

At Vermont Division I championships, Eaton led Rutland to the high school championship game in 1996.[5] His team would win the championship game held that year.[6][7] The following year, Eaton won the high school title in 1997 with Rutland.[8] He also reached the final with Rutland in 1998.[9] For the Division I basketball championship, Rutland and Eaton made it to the semifinals in 1999.[10] Outside of sports, Eaton was interested in working with children for his career.[11]

College career

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At the University of Maine from 1999 to 2002, Eaton played for the Maine Black Bears football team.[12] As a quarterback, Eaton replaced injured teammate Brian Scott in 1999 for five games.[2] Eaton was the season leader in passing yards from 2000 to 2002. With 7,145 passing yards, Eaton was in the top five for career passing yards with Maine during 2022.[13]

During these seasons, Eaton and Maine were defeated in the quarterfinals of the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football playoffs.[14] In November 2002, Eaton broke his medial collateral ligament.[15] Due to his knee, Eaton did not quarterback the Maine players that reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football playoffs.[16][17] After leaving the team in 2002, Eaton had 77 combined touchdowns with his rushes and passes.[18]

Professional career

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After college, Eaton became part of the Edmonton Eskimos in April 2004.[19] He remained with the Canadian Football League team until he lost his spot in June 2004.[20] That year, Eaton went to the af2 and played in three games with the Cape Fear Wildcats. He then moved to the Manchester Wolves in 2005 and totaled 4,006 yards alongside 88 touchdowns.[21]

In 2006, Eaton joined the Arena Football League as a member of the Orlando Predators. During his time with the Predators, Eaton underwent medical treatment for his multiple knee injuries in 2008.[22] As a quarterback until 2009, Eaton had a career total of 958 passing yards and 16 touchdowns.[1] After ending his football career, Eaton became an elementary school gym teacher and high school athletic director in Proctor, Vermont, during the 2010s.[23][12]

Awards and honors

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For Rutland, Eaton won the Gatorade Player of the Year for Vermont in 1998 and 1999.[24][25] While with the Maine football team, Eaton was offensive player of the year for the university in 2000.[26] Eaton was also one of the winners of the Most Valuable Player award for Maine from 2001 to 2002. Eaton was inducted into the University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.[27] In 2017, he was selected to join a hall of fame for the Vermont Principals' Association.[28] Eaton was also chosen to become part of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.[29]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jake Eaton". ArenaFan. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Thomas, Kevin (August 20, 2000). "Eaton's Golden Rules". Portland Press Herald. p. 1D.
  3. ^ Haley, Tom (May 21, 2016). "Eaton joins Maine's Hall of Fame". Rutland Herald.
  4. ^ Warner, Pete (December 7, 2001). "Small details a big concern for QB Eaton". The Bangor Daily News. p. C1.
  5. ^ Fredette, Bob (November 2, 1996). "Raiders, Tigers in D-I Final". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 21.
  6. ^ Garrity, Patrick (August 29, 1997). "Armed and dangerous". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1B.
  7. ^ Smith, Jamie (November 12, 1996). "Rutland wins crown, 20-4". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1B.
  8. ^ Garrity, Patrick (November 9, 1997). "Red Raiders repeat, 24-14". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1C.
  9. ^ Fillion, Don (November 15, 1998). "Crown crosses town, MSJ thumps Rutland". The Burlington Free Press. p. 5C.
  10. ^ Filion, Don (March 10, 1999). "BHS rips Rutland, 73-37". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1B.
  11. ^ Donoughe, Mike (September 25, 1998). "Armed and dangerous". The Burlington Free Press. p. 9B.
  12. ^ a b Haley, Tom (June 14, 2018). "Profile: Eaton has big dreams at a small school". Rutland Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  13. ^ McHatten, Tyson (August 30, 2022). "Maine Football 2022 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Maine Athletics. pp. 79–81. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  14. ^ "Black Bears whipped". Rutland Daily Herald. The Associated Press. December 9, 2001. p. B1.
  15. ^ "Maine's Jake Eaton is out for N.H. game". Brattleboro Reformer. Associated Press. November 20, 2002. p. 13.
  16. ^ Warner, Pete (December 2, 2002). "Black Bears notch playoff win". The Bangor Daily News. p. A1.
  17. ^ Warner, Pete (December 9, 2002). "Final game hits seniors". The Bangor Daily News. pp. C1, C4.
  18. ^ McLaughlin, Ryan (September 29, 2016). "'We weren't intimidated': This former UMaine quarterback led team to 28 victories". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  19. ^ "Jake Eaton signs with CFL's Edmonton team". Bangor Daily News. April 28, 2004. p. 6.
  20. ^ Hall, Vicki (June 7, 2004). "Esks new QB is a scholar and a gentleman". Edmonton Journal. p. D5.
  21. ^ "Wolves QB Jake Eaton signs with Orlando Predators". OurSportsCentral. October 13, 2005. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  22. ^ Raspuzzi, Dawson (September 13, 2008). "Winning wisdom". Rutland Daily Herald. p. B3.
  23. ^ Solloway, Steve (August 27, 2011). "Steve Solloway: Leadership hard to find on stat sheet". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
  24. ^ "Jake Eaton 1997 - 1998 Vermont Football Player of the Year". Gatorade Player of the Year. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  25. ^ "Jake Eaton 1998 - 1999 Vermont Football Player of the Year". Gatorade Player of the Year. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  26. ^ Haley, Tom (December 22, 2000). "Eaton reaps grid honors at Maine". Rutland Daily Herald. p. B7.
  27. ^ "Jake Eaton". University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  28. ^ Abrami, Alex (March 8, 2017). "VPA announces star-studded Hall of Fame class". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  29. ^ "Vermont Sports Hall of Fame class announced". Rutland Herald. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
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