Tony Banks (American football)

Anthony Lamar Banks (born April 5, 1973) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft, he also was a member of the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, and Houston Texans. With the Ravens, Banks was part of the team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXV.

Tony Banks
No. 3, 12
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1973-04-05) April 5, 1973
San Diego, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:San Diego (CA) Hoover
College:Michigan State
NFL Draft:1996 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts:2,356
Pass completions:1,278
Percentage:54.2
TDINT:77–73
Passing yards:15,315
Passer rating:72.4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

High school years

Banks attended Hoover High School in San Diego, California, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball.

Post high school and college years

Banks played right field for the Minnesota Twins' Class A team in Ft. Myers, Florida, before enrolling at San Diego Mesa College in San Diego. He played there two years before transferring to Michigan State University. Banks places among the all-time record holders at Michigan State. He ranks sixth in passing completion percentage, tenth in career passing yards, and tenth in passing touchdowns. Banks was the first quarterback selected in the 1996 NFL Draft.

In the October 2010 issue of Sports Illustrated, former NFL agent Josh Luchs claimed he paid Banks 'several hundred dollars a month' while Banks was at Michigan State, a violation of NCAA eligibility rules.[1]

College statistics

Season Team GP Passing
CmpAttPctYdsTDInt
1994Michigan State 1114523860.92,040116
1995Michigan State 915625860.52,089915
Totals2030149660.74,1292021

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttle
6 ft 4+12 in
(1.94 m)
220 lb
(100 kg)
33+18 in
(0.84 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
4.93 s1.68 s2.86 s4.55 s

St. Louis Rams

Tony Banks was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams as the first quarterback selected in that year's draft.[2] He soon found himself the starter as a rookie. Banks recorded significant yardage and touchdowns but also ended up setting a record for fumbles that first season, with 21. The team finished with a 6-10 record. Throughout the next two seasons Banks's play failed to improve significantly as the Rams finished last in their division with records of 5-11 and 4-12.[3] During his time in St. Louis he developed a reputation for having a cocky attitude and a poor work ethic.[4] After a 14-0 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 of 1998 he skipped the team flight back to St. Louis and did not appear at practice the next day.[5][6] After three seasons with the Rams, the team signed Trent Green and then traded Banks to the Ravens for a fifth and seventh round draft pick.[7]

Baltimore Ravens

Banks accumulated the best statistics of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens started Scott Mitchell and Stoney Case early in 1999, but neither worked out, so the team turned to Banks. In 1999, he threw a career-high 17 TDs next to only eight interceptions. He also mustered 2,136 passing yards. Banks played well in early 2000, but his fumbles and INTs cost the team two games in October. Feeling the offense needed a spark after failing to score a touchdown over an entire month, the team replaced him with backup Trent Dilfer, who would remain the starter through the team's Super Bowl XXXV win. He finished 2000 with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions and was released in the off-season.

Dallas Cowboys

Leading into the 2001 season, Banks was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to replace the recently released and later retired Troy Aikman; however, on August 15, 2001, Banks was abruptly released by the Cowboys who chose instead to go with rookie Quincy Carter.

Washington Redskins

Later that year, Banks signed with the Washington Redskins during Marty Schottenheimer's one-year tenure as head coach. While with the Redskins, he became the first quarterback to follow an 0–5 start with five straight wins.[8] He was released after the season.

Houston Texans

Tony Banks signed with the Houston Texans. He was the second-string quarterback for the Houston Texans behind David Carr. He claims that he was asked by Houston's coaches not to play too well in practice to ensure that he would not upstage David Carr, who the team had drafted first overall in the 2002 NFL Draft.[9] During his four-year tenure with the team, Banks received minimal playing time. On February 28, 2006, Banks was released by the Texans. He never returned to the NFL.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GPGSCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDSckYdsFumLost
1996STL 141319236852.22,5446.9151571.0612123.50483062111
1997STL 161625248751.73,2546.7141371.5471864.0143317157
1998STL 141424140859.12,5356.271468.6401563.93412371410
1999BAL 121016932052.82,1366.717881.224933.90331901211
2000BAL 11815027454.71,5785.88869.319573.0020152115
2001WAS 151419837053.52,3865.8101071.3471523.22291731510
2002HOU 00DNP
2003HOU 736110259.86936.85384.36274.50135771
2004HOU 501250.0168.00077.1000.000050
2005HOU 20142556.01736.91257.62-2-1.000020
Career96781,2782,35654.215,3156.5777372.42468813.662271,4327331

Postseason

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GPGSCmpAttPctYdsAvgTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDSckYdsFumLost
2000BAL 30030.000.00039.61-1-1.000000
Career30030.000.00039.61-1-1.000000

Coaching career

On March 9, 2020, Greenhill School, a private k-12 school in Addison Texas, announced that they were hiring Tony Banks as their Head Football Coach. He had previously served the school as an assistant coach.[10]

References

  1. "Josh Luchs says he paid players". ESPN. October 13, 2010. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  2. "1996 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  3. "Cleveland/St. Louis/LA Rams Team Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  4. "Tony Banks had all the potential in the world". Andscape. December 28, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  5. "Tony Banks had all the potential in the world". Andscape. December 28, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  6. "1998 Miami Dolphins Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  7. "ESPN".
  8. "Five losses to five wins: five reasons". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  9. "Tony Banks had all the potential in the world". Andscape. December 28, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  10. "Greenhill Announces Tony Banks as Head Football Coach". Greenhill School. March 9, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
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