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 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

defender. After a standout career at the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

, Banks spent six seasons playing indoor soccer with the

Milwaukee Wave The Milwaukee Wave are an American professional indoor soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that competes in the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL). Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional indoor footbal ...

. 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

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

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 Association football, 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 ...

. 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, United States. Founded in 1903, the university has a primary focus on undergraduate engineering education with additional programs in business, mathem ...

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

Youth and college

Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Banks began playing soccer at age six through a

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

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

then the

where he earned

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n honors playing

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

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, p ...

. 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 An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

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. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

in a scoreless tie with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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 ...

and

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

soccer teams. Banks and teammate Desmond Armstrong 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 Association football, 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 ...

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 association football, soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Bavarian Majors of the Bavarian Soccer Club compete in the USL League 2. The team plays its home games in the athletic stadium at ...

. 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 soccer coaches American men's soccer players Men's association football defenders Bavarian United SC 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 footballers for the United States Milwaukee Panthers men's soccer players University of Wisconsin–Parkside alumni Deaths from stomach cancer in Wisconsin 20th-century American sportsmen