A Fort Smith native, Chris Eckes has great pride in his hometown university. He had a never quit attitude to not let himself, the team or the school down.
“Chris outworked everyone, in the gym, on the course and in the classroom,” head coach Daniel Hayden said. “He wanted to be the best and was not going to let anyone outwork him. His leadership is something I will always talk about to current and future teams.”
That attitude translated to a stellar career on the golf course, as he is third in career scoring average at 74.04 strokes per round and totaled 23 rounds of par or better. He saved his best for last, earning First Team All-Heartland Conference honors and Division II Ping All South-Central Region nod his senior year in 2017-18.
Eckes tallied a pair of individual medalist honors that season and led the Lions to a win in the J.R. Watkins Invitational while setting the single season scoring average with 72.58 strokes per round, with 12 rounds par or better. He posted six top five finishes and led the Lions to a runner-up finish in the Heartland Conference Championship, where he finished fourth to earn All-Tournament honors.
Eckes recorded a 73.7 scoring average in 2016-17, and for his career from 2015-18, he totaled 209 birdies and seven eagles as he recorded 23 rounds under par with a low of 67.
Chris was a consummate teammate while playing for the Lions, always being the first to congratulate his teammates when they had success.
“It wasn’t all about him, it was all about the team and how he could help the team do better,” Hayden added. “He knew if he outworked everyone, those around him would have to work harder in order to keep up with him.”
Following his playing career, Chris played on the Canadian pro circuit for a season before coming back to Fort Smith working at First National Bank of Fort Smith and following the Lions.
“I’m grateful to see Chris in the Hall of Fame, it’s a lifetime of work and dedication that did not go unnoticed,” Hayden said.
