M. B. Banks


Mark Beal Banks was an American football, basketball and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Centre College, Ohio Wesleyan University, Ohio University, Drake University, the University of Tennessee, and Hartwick College, compiling a career college football record of 100–73–10. Banks was also the head basketball and head baseball coach at Ohio Wesleyan, Ohio, Drake, and Tennessee. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Syracuse University.

College career

Banks graduated from Syracuse University in 1909. There he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. Banks was an Honorable Mention All-American quarterback in 1908.

Coaching career

Banks started his coaching career at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky in 1909. In 1912, Banks was head football coach at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio compiling a record of 3–6 in his only season there. Banks then move to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio in 1913 and coached football five seasons there, going 21–18–2.
Banks became the 12th head football coach at Drake University located in Des Moines, Iowa and he held that position for three seasons, from 1918 until 1920. His overall coaching record at Drake was 11 wins, 10 losses, and 1 ties. This ranks him tenth at Drake in terms of total wins and 12th at Drake in terms of winning percentage. During his time at Drake, he was also the meet director for the Drake Relays.
After coaching at Drake, Banks led the Tennessee Volunteers football team to a 27–15–3 record from 1921 to 192. He was the football coach at Tennessee when the iconic orange became the main color for Tennessee's athletic teams. Banks also coached baseball and basketball at Tennessee. In 1927, Banks left for Central High School in Knoxville. Banks coached at Knoxville Central from 1927 to 1930.
In 1941, Banks became the athletic director, basketball, football, and baseball coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York. Under Banks, Hartwick's football team had their first two winning seasons. Banks coached at Hartwick until 1948 and remained athletic director at the school until his retirement in 1950.
In 1996, Banks was inducted into the Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame. The M. Beal Banks Award at Hartwick is awarded annually to "individuals, male and female, who have best pursued excellence in their sport to the best of their ability and have enthused others with their dedication and commitment".

Family

Banks was born on June 5, 1883 in Breesport, New York to parents David Thomas Banks and Emeline H. Parsons. Before attending Syracuse, Beal Banks graduated high school from the Elmira Free Academy in Elmira, New York. He married Gladys King daughter of Rufus Everson King and Clara E. Ingersoll on October 29, 1910. Beal and Gladys had four children. Banks died January 12, 1970 in Parkersburg, West Virginia of a heart attack.

Head coaching record

Football