Mark Beal Banks (June 5, 1883 – January 12, 1970) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Central University of Kentucky—now known as

Centre College Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky. It is an undergraduate college with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. Centre was officially chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819. The college is ...

—in

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes ...

(1909–1911),

Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) is a private liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio. It was founded in 1842 by methodist leaders and Central Ohio residents as a nonsectarian institution, and is a member of the Ohio Five – a consortium ...

(1912),

Ohio University Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...

(1913–1917),

Drake University Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, law, and pharmacy. Drake's law school is among the 25 oldest in the United States. Hi ...

(1918–1920), the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

(1921–1925), and

Hartwick College Hartwick College is a private liberal arts college in Oneonta, New York. The institution's origin is rooted in the founding of Hartwick Seminary in 1797 through the will of John Christopher Hartwick. In 1927, the Seminary moved to expand into a ...

(1941–1948), compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

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 Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

College career

Banks graduated from

in 1909. There he lettered in football (1905–1908), basketball (1908–1909), and baseball (1909). Banks was an Honorable Mention All-American

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

in 1908.

Coaching career

Banks started his coaching career at

in 1909. In 1912, Banks was head football coach at

in Delaware, Ohio compiling a record of 3–6 in his only season there. Banks then move to

Athens, Ohio Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...

in 1913 and coached football five seasons there, going 21–18–2. Banks became the 12th head football coach at

located in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

and he held that position for three seasons, from 1918 until 1920. His overall coaching record at Drake was 11–10–1. During his time at Drake, he was also the meet director for the (

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

) Drake Relays. After coaching at Drake, Banks led the

Tennessee Volunteers football The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT). The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862� ...

team to a 27–15–3 record from 1921 to 1925. 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 An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

, basketball, football, and baseball coach at

Oneonta, New York Oneonta ( ) is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, United States. It is one of the northernmost cities of the Appalachian Region. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, Oneonta had a population of 13,079. Its nickname is "City of the Hil ...

. 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 (Pops) 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 Breesport is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Horseheads in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 626 at the 2010 census. It is the home of the Twin Tiers Christian Academy. Geography Breesport is ...

to parents David Thomas Banks (December 6, 1851 in Veteran, New York – December 1930 in

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a city and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. The population was 26,523 at the 2020 cens ...

) and Emeline H. Parsons (December 25, 1852 in

Catlin, New York Catlin is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 2,554 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Phineas Catlin, a surveyor and public official. Catlin is in the northwestern corner of the county, northwest of E ...

– May 3, 1938 in Elmira, New York). Before attending Syracuse, Beal Banks graduated high school from the Elmira Free Academy in Elmira, New York. He married Gladys King (March 1888 – 1966) daughter of Rufus Everson King (July 15, 1859 – November 7, 1921) and Clara E. Ingersoll (June 1860 – ?) on October 29, 1910. Beal and Gladys had four children. Banks died January 12, 1970 in

Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia, Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Little Kanawha River, Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and ...

of a heart attack.

Head coaching record

Football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, M. B. 1883 births 1970 deaths American football quarterbacks American men's basketball players Baseball players from New York (state) Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York (state) Centre Colonels football coaches Centre Colonels men's basketball coaches Drake Bulldogs athletic directors Drake Bulldogs baseball coaches Drake Bulldogs football coaches Drake Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Hartwick Hawks athletic directors Hartwick Hawks football coaches Hartwick Hawks men's basketball coaches Ohio Bobcats baseball coaches Ohio Bobcats football coaches Ohio Bobcats men's basketball coaches Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops baseball coaches Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops football coaches Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops men's basketball coaches People from Chemung County, New York People from Horseheads, New York Players of American football from New York (state) Sportspeople from Elmira, New York Syracuse Orangemen baseball players Syracuse Orange football players Syracuse Orange men's basketball players Tennessee Volunteers baseball coaches Tennessee Volunteers basketball coaches Tennessee Volunteers football coaches