Former MSU Head Coach Earl Banks Selected As 2018 AFCA Trailblazer Award Recipient

WACO, Texas – Earl Banks, former head coach at Morgan State University, has been named the American Football Coaches Association's recipient of the 2018 Trailblazer Award. The award will be presented, posthumously, during the AFCA Honors Luncheon on Monday, January 7, at the 2019 AFCA Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

The AFCA Trailblazer Award was created to honor early leaders in the football coaching profession who coached at historically black colleges and universities. Past Trailblazer Award winners include Charles Williams, Hampton (2004); Cleve Abbott, Tuskegee (2005); Arnett Mumford, Southern (2006); Billy Nicks, Prairie View A&M (2007); Alonzo "Jake" Gaither, Florida A&M (2008); Fred "Pops" Long, Wiley (2009); Harry R. "Big Jeff" Jefferson, Bluefield State (2010); Edward P. Hurt, Morgan State (2011); Vernon "Skip" McCain, Maryland-Eastern Shore (2012); Marino Casem, Alcorn State (2013); Gideon Smith, Hampton (2014); Eddie Robinson, Grambling State (2015); Oree Banks, South Carolina State and West Virginia State (2016) and John Merritt, Jackson State and Tennessee State (2017).

Banks played football for the University of Iowa from 1946 until 1949, and was an All-Big Ten and All-America selection at guard. After graduating from Iowa in 1950, Banks joined the New York Yankees of the old American Football Conference, but an injury cut his professional playing career short after just one season.

In 1951, Banks became the defensive line coach and head baseball coach at Maryland State College. During his time there, he led the baseball team to four Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) championships.

In 1960, Banks took over the head coaching position at Morgan State from 2011 Trailblazer Award winner, Edward Hurt. In his 14 seasons as head coach, he would lead the Bears to six CIAA titles, one CIAA Northern Division championship and one Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title. Banks had an overall record of 96-31-2 after he retired from coaching 1973 and produced three undefeated seasons from 1965 through 1967. He guided Morgan State to four bowl games, winning the 1965 Orange Blossom Classic and the 1966 Tangerine Bowl.

Banks sent countless players to the NFL, including Willie Lanier to the Kansas City Chiefs, Leroy Kelly to the Cleveland Browns, George Nock to the Washington Redskins and John Fuqua to the Pittsburgh Steelers, to name a few. But turning out professional players was not Banks main concern. He was quoted as saying, "I want to develop a good citizen, a man who can contribute something and give back to society. I try to treat a player like he is my son. I want him to tell me his troubles. As for the professional angle, if I think he's among the chosen few who can make it, then I try to get him ready for that profession. If he's not, then I stress getting everything he can out of his schooling so he can find a decent job when he graduates. I want him to reach the pinnacle of success in whatever field of endeavor he chooses."

From 1970 to 1983, Banks also served as the athletic director at Morgan State. In 1992, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In 1993, at the age of 69, Banks was killed in a car crash when he suffered a heart attack and lost control of his car.

The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 11,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession" and to "provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football."

For more information on the AFCA and its programs, visit www.afca.com, or follow us on Twitter @WeAreAFCA.

By Vince Thompson, AFCA
AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION