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Brandon DeSean Banks (born December 21, 1987) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
and
return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...
. He was signed by the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
in 2010. He also played in the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
(CFL) for the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...
and
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...
and for the
Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...
. Originally coming into the NFL at 149 pounds, Banks was the lightest active player in the league. Banks was also the lightest player in the CFL at 150 pounds.


Early life

Banks was a four-year starter and two-time all-conference selection at
Garner Magnet High School Garner Magnet High School (GMHS) is a comprehensive public high school in Garner, North Carolina, United States, a city southeast of Raleigh. The school was founded as Garner Senior High School (GSHS), which graduated its first class in 1969. Gar ...
in
Garner, North Carolina Garner is a town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 31,159 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Raleigh, the city limits are entirely within Wake County, though portions of unincorporated Wake County, as well as the ...
. He led the Trojans to three consecutive conferences championships and a 33–5 record over his final three seasons. In 2017, he was inducted into the school Hall of Fame.


Track and field

Banks was named to the 2006 ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' All-USA high school track and field team after posting a 10.42 in the
100-meter The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...
and a 21.44 in the 200-meter. ;Personal bests


College career


Junior college

As a
Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...
Renegade, Banks earned first-team All-America honors from JC Gridwire as an all-purpose player/wide receiver. He was also named a ''PrepStar'' JUCO All-American. He helped lead Bakersfield to a No. 1 national ranking, a 12–1 record on the season and a berth in the Southern California championship game. His 15 touchdowns set a school record.


Kansas State

Banks transferred to
Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...
to begin the 2008 season. Banks became the second straight Wildcat to earn offensive newcomer of the year accolades after
Deon Murphy Deon Murphy (born April 15, 1986) is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). High school Murphy started three seasons at Klein Forest High School, located in Houston, Texas. He earne ...
took the honor in 2007. In all, Kansas State has had eight players earn conference newcomer of the year honors since 1996. He had one of the best seasons in school history for a junior wide receiver after collecting 67 receptions for 1,049 yards and nine touchdowns. He became the sixth player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season and his 67 catches and 1,049 receiving yards were the most by a Wildcat junior for a single season. Banks also contributed on special teams in 2008 as he collected 498 yards on 18 kickoff returns and five punt returns for 58 yards. His 98-yard kickoff return against Nebraska tied for the fifth-longest in school history. Banks' 1,731 total all-purpose yardage in 2008 ranks fifth in single-season school history, while his 144.2 all-purpose yards per game mark checks in at No. 8 on the Kansas State single-season records chart. He was a first team Big 12 Conference selection on special teams and he was a second team All-American his senior year.


College statistics


Professional career


Washington Redskins

After the
2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
, the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
signed Banks as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
on May 17, 2010. He returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown in the first preseason game against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
on August 13, 2010, and was shortly thereafter given the nickname, "Crazy Legs Banks".Brandon Banks puts excitement back in the return game
''The Washington Post'', September 2, 2010.
Against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, however, he fumbled a return and had inconsistent play against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
, which included a second lost fumble. The Redskins released Banks on September 26, 2010, but re-signed him to the
practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...
on September 29. In his first regular season NFL game, Banks returned his first punt 51 yards against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...
which set up a Redskin touchdown. In Week 5 against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
, his responsibilities expanded to include both punt and kick return duties. Banks recorded three punt returns for 47 yards and two kickoff returns for 33 yards, while a 62-yard kickoff return was negated by a holding penalty. In Week 6 against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, Banks blocked a 48-yard
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. Consequently, ...
attempt by
Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker for 24 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri is the ...
. On October 31, 2010 against the Detroit Lions, Banks totaled 271 return yards, setting a franchise record. His 96-yard kickoff return midway through the fourth quarter was the Redskins' first kick return for a touchdown in 70 games, and the first of Banks' career. In Week 12, Banks ran a 77-yard punt return in a home game against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
for a touchdown to give the Redskins a lead late in the game, but a penalty called on Perry Riley negated the return and the Redskins lost. Starting the 2011 season off slow, Banks would finally have an impressive 55-yard punt return before being pushed out of bounds in the second game against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. In Week 14 against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
,
Rex Grossman Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for ...
gave the ball to
Roy Helu Roy Ziegler Helu Jr. (born December 7, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. ...
, who then gave it to Banks; Banks then threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to
Santana Moss Santana Terrell Moss (born June 1, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, earning consensus All- ...
. The pass was the first of Banks' career. Later in Week 16 against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
, Banks took a reverse handoff for a 59-yard touchdown run, but just like his punt return touchdown in the previous meeting between the two teams in the 2010 season, it was nullified by a penalty on
Darrel Young Darrel Young (born April 8, 1987) is an American former professional football fullback. He is currently the director of player development for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent as a lin ...
. On the next play,
Rex Grossman Rex Daniel Grossman III (born August 23, 1980) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. Grossman played college football for ...
threw an interception and the Redskins went on to lose the game. During the 2012 preseason, coach
Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan ( ; born August 24, 1952) is an American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led th ...
announced that he expected Banks to contribute more as receiver if he was to make the team. To prepare for the season, Banks gained an additional ten pounds. Against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
in the second game of the preseason, Banks returned a punt 91 yards for a touchdown. In the last preseason game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
, he caught a 47-yard pass from
Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans football, Mi ...
, as well as rushed for 43 yards on a reverse. Banks made the final 53-man roster by the start of the 2012 season after much controversy over whether or not he could contribute to the team as more than a return specialist. After being ineffective for most of the season, Banks was put on the inactive list in the Week 14 game against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
as the Redskins used
Niles Paul Niles Paul (born August 9, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football tight end who played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football as a wide receiver at the University of Nebraska ...
and Richard Crawford to take over his return duties. Set to become a restricted free agent for the 2013 season, it was reported that the Redskins planned on letting Banks enter free agency with no plans to re-sign him.


Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Banks signed with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...
on September 30, 2013. He played in the final 4 regular season games of the
2013 CFL season The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatch ...
with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
(CFL). He was named the Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 18 of the 2013 CFL season for returning a missed field goal for the game-winning touchdown to clinch home-field advantage in the Eastern Semi-finals. In his second season in the league Banks returned two punts for touchdowns in the Tiger-Cats's 40-24 win over the
Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...
in the Eastern Final, advancing the Tiger-Cats to the
102nd Grey Cup The 102nd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played November 30, 2014, between the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders and East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, to determine the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the ...
. An additional punt return was called back because of a penalty. In the
102nd Grey Cup The 102nd Grey Cup was a Canadian football game played November 30, 2014, between the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders and East Division champion Hamilton Tiger-Cats, to determine the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the ...
, Banks recorded a 45-yard receiving touchdown, while an apparent punt return touchdown with under a minute left in the game was called back due to an illegal block. He recorded 1,968 combined yards during the regular season. His performance earned him his first CFL All-Star award. Banks saw a reduced workload in the receiving game in his third season in the CFL, despite playing in all 18 regular season games. He caught 22 passes for 220 yards, but carried the ball a career-high 20 times for 87 yards. He set personal bests across the board in both punt and kick return. In total he touched the ball 164 times (average of 9.1 times a game) for 2,070 yards with six touchdowns. He was named a CFL All-Star for the second consecutive season. Banks played in the first 15 games of the 2016 regular season before being suspended for two of the final three games of the year: He tested positive for a banned substance ( Methylenedioxyamphetamine). Banks finished the season having amassed 2,082 kickoff return yards and scoring three return touchdowns. He was the East division nomination for Special Teams Player of the Year. Banks had a breakout season as a wide receiver in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, setting new career highs in receptions (67) yards (1,011) and touchdowns (8). For the first eight games of the season under head coach
Kent Austin Richard Kent Austin (born June 25, 1963) is an American college football coach and former professional player who is the quarterbacks coach for Auburn University. He played as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Fo ...
Banks only caught eight passes for 52 yards, however under new head coach
June Jones June Sheldon Jones III (born February 19, 1953) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons. Jones was the head football coach at the University of Hawaii at Manoa ...
Banks' involvement and productivity skyrocketed. In the final 10 games of the season Banks caught 59 passes for 959 yards with eight touchdowns. Banks improved on his strong 2017 season, with an even more productive 2018 season; catching setting new career highs in receptions (94) yards (1,423) and touchdowns (11). He suffered a broken clavicle in the team's Week 19 loss to the
Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...
, causing him to miss the remainder of the season. At the time of the injury Banks was second in the league in receptions and yards, and tied for first with teammate
Luke Tasker Lucas Steele Tasker (born January 18, 1991) is a former Canadian football wide receiver and sports broadcaster. He spent the entirety of his seven-season Canadian Football League (CFL) career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Tasker played college fo ...
for most receiving touchdowns. On January 28, 2019 Banks and the Tiger-Cats agreed to a two-year contract extension. Banks continued his excellent play into the
2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...
where in the penultimate game of the season he set the franchise record for most receptions in a season with 112. Banks was also named to his 6th consecutive Divisional All-Star list. Banks was later named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player for his play in the 2019 season. He re-signed with the Tiger-Cats on December 31, 2020. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Banks played in the first four games of the
2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
catching 22 passes for 172 yards before suffering a rib injury. The injury caused him to miss the next three games, before briefly returning to action in Week 9, and then also missing Week 10 due to lingering pain. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 8, 2022.


Toronto Argonauts

On February 13, 2022, it was announced that Banks had signed with the
Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
. He won his first ever Grey Cup with the Argonauts in Regina, Saskatchewan on November 20, 2022 the
109th Grey Cup The 109th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2022 CFL season, 2022 season. The game was played on November 20, at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. It marked the fourth Grey Cup game to be held in Regin ...
. After one season with the club Banks was released by the Argos on January 3, 2023.


Professional statistics


Personal life

Banks is known for performing the John Wall Dance as his touchdown celebration. Banks is good friends with
John Wall Johnathan Hildred Wall Jr. (born September 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A Raleigh, North Carolina, native, Wall was chosen with ...
, who plays point guard with the
Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
. They both grew up together in the
Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
area and at one point in time both played professionally in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
He has three children.


References


External links


Toronto Argonauts bioKansas State Wildcats football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banks, Brandon 1987 births Living people American football return specialists American football wide receivers Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Player Award winners Canadian football return specialists Canadian football wide receivers Garner Magnet High School alumni Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Kansas State Wildcats football players People from Garner, North Carolina Sportspeople from Wake County, North Carolina Players of American football from Raleigh, North Carolina Toronto Argonauts players Washington Redskins players Players of Canadian football from North Carolina