Jimmy Banks (September 2, 1964 – April 26, 2019) was an American

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

defender. After a standout career at the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

, Banks spent six seasons playing indoor soccer with the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional soccer team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, m ...

. He also earned 35

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

with the

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between 1986 and 1991, including two games at the

1990 FIFA World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being Me ...

. After retiring from playing professionally, Banks entered the coaching ranks with both youth clubs and the

Milwaukee School of Engineering The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is a private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The campus is in the East Town neighborhood of downtown Milwaukee. The school's enrollment of 2,820 includes 224 graduate students. As of fall 2018, ...

men's team. Banks died of stomach cancer on April 26, 2019.

Youth and college

Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Banks began playing soccer at age six through a

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

program near the city’s Westlawn Housing Projects. After graduating from Custer High School in Milwaukee, he attended first the

University of Wisconsin–Parkside The University of Wisconsin–Parkside (UWP) is a public university in Somers, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and has 4,644 students, 161 full-time faculty, and 89 lecturers and part-time faculty. The university of ...

then the

where he earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n honors playing

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

soccer as first a forward, then a midfielder. At Milwaukee, Banks played for his future national team manager

Bob Gansler Bob Gansler (born July 1, 1941) is a Hungarian-born American soccer player and coach of German descent. He coached the U.S. National Team at the 1990 World Cup, the team's first appearance at the tournament since 1950. Playing career As a pl ...

Milwaukee Wave

After graduation from Milwaukee, he was drafted by both the Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League and the

of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. He decided to remain in Milwaukee and signed with the Wave for whom he played from 1987 to 1993. He was a league All Star in 1992.

National team

He earned his first national team

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

in a scoreless tie with

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on February 5, 1986. He went on to play a total of 35 games with the senior team. His national team highlights include starting two games of the

against Italy and Austria; and playing as a member of the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas c ...

and

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

soccer teams. Banks and teammate

Desmond Armstrong Desmond Kevin Armstrong (born November 2, 1964) is an American former soccer defender and midfielder, who was a member of the United States national team from 1987 to 1994. He played three seasons in the Major Indoor Soccer League, part of o ...

became the first two African-American players named to a U.S. World Cup squad when they made the 22-man roster for the

1990 World Cup The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event for a second time (the first being M ...

Coaching

In 1999, he became the head coach of the

men's soccer team, a position he held until his death in 2019. He also served as the director of coaching of the Milwaukee Kickers. While he retired from playing professionally, he continued playing with the

Milwaukee Bavarians Bavarian United SC is an American soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Bavarian Majors of the Bavarian Soccer Club compete in the United Premier Soccer League. The team plays its home games in the athletic stadium at the Heart ...

. He remained a force in Milwaukee's inner city as a founder of an inner-city youth soccer camp and a full-time and volunteer worker with the Milwaukee Boy's and Girl's Club. His years of work with disadvantaged youth led to his being honored with the Community Spirit Award. In 1999, the

inducted Banks into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.

Death

On April 25, 2019, his son Demetrius "Dee" Banks announced that Banks was in "the final days of his battle with cancer." The following day, Banks died at the age of 54.

Stadium renaming

A soccer and football specific stadium across from Custer High School, was renamed from Custer Stadium to Jimmy Banks Stadium in early 2022. The renaming was introduced to the Committee on Accountability, Finance and Personnel through a campaign organized by Tim Clements and Corey Thompson, among others active in the Milwaukee soccer community.Tim Clements proposal letter
Retrieved 2022-09-06

References

External links

Cached USSoccerPlayers.com bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Jimmy 1964 births 2019 deaths 1990 FIFA World Cup players American Indoor Soccer Association players American soccer coaches American soccer players African-American soccer players Association football defenders Milwaukee Bavarians players Milwaukee Wave players National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Soccer players from Milwaukee United States men's international soccer players Footballers at the 1987 Pan American Games Pan American Games competitors for the United States Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer players University of Wisconsin–Parkside alumni Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin Deaths from stomach cancer 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people