In the next-to-last home game against Northwest Christian, Coach Jeff Eaton, right, consults with his Naselle players on the sideline. No. 11 is hardworking sophomore Elmer Toftemark.

NASELLE — Football coach Jeff Eaton’s retirement brought loud community applause for his service.

“He is going to be missed,” said Brian Macy, athletic director, who attended Eastern Washington University with Eaton in the 1980s. “Just think of the positive impact he has had on our community.

“It’s just amazing — you don’t get people who are willing to stick around in one place for so long. He has done it longer than most of the people in the stands have lived. He loved doing what he was doing — it didn’t seem like work for him.”

Lisa Nelson echoed that. “Jeff Eaton of football has become the Lyle Patterson of basketball for Naselle athletics,” the superintendent said. “While they may not share the same personality — off the field or court — they both exhibited a great passion and love for what they do. They stand for a long tradition of dedication and success for our student athletes.”

Following district policy, she will post the job and see who applies. Macy noted that will happen rather quickly, because if WIAA reverts to traditional season dates for fall 2021, the new coach will want to open the weight room this summer.

“Jeff will leave a huge hole to fill,” Nelson added. “He has been such a stalwart for our program and a great role model for our kids. We were really lucky to have a quality guy like Jeff at the helm to run a classy program for so many years. He has had a great career and will be missed dearly.”

Eaton’s lifelong friend Kevin McNulty, the former Ilwaco football coach, was his next-door neighbor when they were kids in Naselle. The two share a birthday, were best man at each other’s weddings, and coached with and against each other.

“He is a class act and is well respected by coaches and officials,” said McNulty. “Jeff is a good man, a great role model, a motivator, passionate and easygoing yet fierce competitor. His laid-back style works for him, but don’t let that fool you — he can get excited!”

Respect and development

Naselle stadium announcer Chris Dorman added to the applause. “A calm, fair man with an occasional ‘bite’ that garnered the respect of players and led programs to big stages,” he said, when asked to describe Eaton’s impact.

His son, Cole, captained the Comets to the state semi-final in 2018. “Since he didn’t get after us too much, we knew that when he did, we were doing something wrong which had to be fixed,” said Dorman.

As quarterback in his senior year, he benefited from Eaton’s extra lineman drills. “I sure do appreciate how he coached them, because the linemen that I had throughout my career protected me very well, which made my job easier,” he said.

Carson Bergeson, a 2018 graduate, played on Naselle’s offensive line. In eight-man football, extra-point plays are passes or runs. When Eaton signals “Jumbo,” one lineman moves to the backfield to receive the ball and power into the end zone.

The play was called twice for center George Wilson in the next-to-last home game this season against Northwest Christian. The cheers from teammates when the enthusiastic 265-pound junior scored were the loudest of the night.

Bergeson savored his moments handling the ball and was full of praise for Eaton. “He is very passionate about the game of football,” he said. “He loves to work with kids and give them as much knowledge as he can about the game — and always has a good attitude.

“I’ll never forget his voice at the end of practice saying, ‘Everybody on the goal line!’ — which means it was time to run.”

‘Enjoyable times’

Hayden Gudmundsen, who is married to Eaton’s niece, Taylor, cherishes his memories, too. He played quarterback for Naselle in his 2015 senior season.

“For the past 30 years, Jeff Eaton has been Naselle football,” Gudmundsen said. “Dedicating so much of his life to not only coaching but mentoring so many players has led to an incredible impact on kids and the community. Personally, Jeff made being a Comet football player one of the most enjoyable times of my life.”