Tony Banks

No. 12
Position	Quarterback
Personal information
Born	(1973-04-05)April 5, 1973 (age 52) San Diego, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight	229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school	Hoover(San Diego)
College	San Diego Mesa (1992–1993) Michigan State (1994–1995)
NFL draft	1996: 2nd round, 42nd overall pick
Career history
St. Louis Rams (1996–1998) Baltimore Ravens (1999–2000) Dallas Cowboys (2001)* Washington Redskins (2001) Houston Texans (2002–2005)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Super Bowl champion (XXXV) PFWA All-Rookie Team (1996) Second-teamAll-Big Ten (1995)
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts 2,356 Pass completions 1,278 Percentage 54.2 TD–INT 77–73 Passing yards 15,315 Passer rating 72.4 Stats atPro Football Reference

Anthony Lamar Banks (born April 5, 1973) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback for 10 seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theMichigan State Spartans. Selected by theSt. Louis Rams in the second round of the1996 NFL draft, Banks also was a member of theBaltimore Ravens,Washington Redskins, andHouston Texans. With the Ravens, he was part of the team that won the franchise's firstSuper Bowl title inSuper Bowl XXXV.

Banks attendedHoover High School inSan Diego, California, and was a letterman infootball,basketball, andbaseball.

Banks playedright field for theMinnesota Twins'Class A team inFt. Myers, Florida, before enrolling atSan Diego Mesa College in San Diego. He played there two years before transferring toMichigan 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 the1996 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]

Banks was selected in the second round of the1996 NFL draft by theSt. Louis Rams as the first quarterback selected in that year's draft.^[2] He soon found himself thestarter 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.^[4][5] After three seasons with the Rams, the team signedTrent Green and then traded Banks to the Ravens for a fifth and seventh round draft pick.^[6]

Banks accumulated the best statistics of his career with theBaltimore Ravens. The Ravens startedScott Mitchell andStoney 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 interceptions 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 backupTrent Dilfer, who would remain the starter through the team'sSuper Bowl XXXV win. He finished 2000 with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions and was released in the off-season.

Leading into the2001 season, Banks was signed by theDallas Cowboys to replace the recently released and later retiredTroy Aikman; however, on August 15, 2001, Banks was abruptly released by the Cowboys who chose instead to go with rookieQuincy Carter.

Later that year, Banks signed withthe Washington Redskins duringMarty 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.^[7] He was released after the season.

Banks signed with theHouston Texans. He was the second-string quarterback for theHouston Texans behindDavid 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 the2002 NFL draft.^[4] 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 theNFL.

On March 9, 2020, theGreenhill School, a private K-12 school inAddison, Texas, announced that they were hiring Banks as their head football coach. He had previously served the school as an assistant coach.^[8]

• Career statistics fromNFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference

• Career statistics fromBaseball Reference (Minors)

• 1973 births
• Living people
• American football quarterbacks
• Baltimore Ravens players
• Dallas Cowboys players
• Michigan State Spartans football players
• St. Louis Rams players
• Houston Texans players
• San Diego Mesa Olympians football players
• Washington Redskins players
• Players of American football from San Diego
• 21st-century African-American sportsmen
• 21st-century American sportsmen
• 20th-century African-American sportsmen
• 20th-century American sportsmen

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