Earl Banks facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 11, 1924 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | October 27, 1993 (aged 69) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1946–1949 | Iowa |
| 1950 | New York Yanks |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1951–1959 | Maryland State (assistant) |
| 1960–1973 | Morgan State |
| Baseball | |
| 1957–1959 | Maryland State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1970–1983 | Morgan State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 96–31–2 (.752) (football) |
| Bowls | 2–2 (.500) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
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| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1992 (profile) |
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Earl C. Banks (born June 11, 1924 – died October 27, 1993) was a very important person in American football. He was a player, a coach, and also helped manage college sports. He is best known for being the head football coach at Morgan State College, which is now called Morgan State University. He coached there from 1960 to 1973.
During his time as head coach, his team had an amazing record of 96 wins, 31 losses, and 2 ties. Earl Banks also worked as the athletic director at Morgan State from 1970 to 1983. This meant he was in charge of all the sports programs at the school. In 1992, he was honored by being added to the College Football Hall of Fame because of his great coaching career. He passed away in 1993 in Baltimore.
Contents
Who Was Earl Banks?
Earl C. Banks was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He loved football from a young age. Before he became a famous coach, he was a talented football player himself. He played as a guard, which is a position on the offensive line, helping to protect the quarterback.
Playing Days at Iowa and New York
Earl Banks played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1946 to 1949. After college, he even played professionally for a short time. In 1950, he was a player for the New York Yanks, a professional football team. His experience as a player helped him understand the game deeply, which later made him a great coach.
Earl Banks: The Coach
Earl Banks started his coaching career as an assistant coach. He worked at Maryland State from 1951 to 1959. During some of these years, from 1957 to 1959, he also coached baseball at Maryland State. This shows he was a versatile coach who understood different sports.
Leading the Morgan State Bears
In 1960, Earl Banks became the head football coach for the Morgan State Bears. This was where he made a huge impact. He coached the team for 14 seasons, until 1973. Under his leadership, the Morgan State Bears became one of the best teams in college football, especially among historically black colleges and universities.
Championship Seasons and Success
Coach Banks led Morgan State to many victories and championships. His teams won the CIAA conference championship five times: in 1962, and then four years in a row from 1965 to 1968. In 1967, his team was so good that they won the black college national championship!
Later, when Morgan State joined a new conference called the MEAC, Coach Banks led them to another championship in 1971. His overall coaching record at Morgan State was 96 wins, 31 losses, and 2 ties. This is a fantastic winning percentage, showing how successful his teams were.
More Than Just a Coach
Besides coaching, Earl Banks also served as the athletic director at Morgan State from 1970 to 1983. In this role, he was responsible for managing all the sports teams and programs at the university. He helped make sure that student-athletes had what they needed to succeed both in sports and in their studies.
A Hall of Fame Legacy
Earl Banks's incredible career as a coach was recognized in 1992 when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. This is one of the highest honors a college football coach can receive. It means his contributions to the sport were truly special and will be remembered for a long time. He passed away in 1993, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and inspiration for many young athletes.
Images for kids
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Earl Banks, a legendary coach and athletic director.
