Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109 Jbaile19@wvstateu.edu
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – A long-time West Virginia State University (WVSU) associate professor and one-time Yellow Jackets football coach has been named to the South Carolina State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Oree Banks, WVSU associate professor of health and human performance, was honored Nov. 16 at a ceremony in Orangeburg, S.C. Banks is a former head football coach at South Carolina State.
Banks spent eight seasons (1965-72) as Bulldog head coach. He compiled a 34-9 record in his first five seasons as Bulldog coach and during that span, was ranked fourth nationally in winning percentage among active coaches in the college division. Banks, who finished his eight-year tenure at South Carolina State with a 44-27-2 record, was named the SIAC Coach of the Year in 1965.
While at South Caroline State, he coached a number of players who went on to professional careers in the National Football League. In addition, Banks served as head coach of the inaugural East-West Black All-Star Classic played at the Houston Astrodome.
After leaving South Carolina State, Banks served as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina, the University of Virginia and the University of Wisconsin before being named the head football coach at WVSU in 1977.
Banks came to WVSU as both an associate professor and head football coach. He wore both hats until after the 1983 football season. Since that time he has worked as an associate professor of health and human performance.
A native of Newton, Miss., Banks began his coaching career in 1960 as the head football coach at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Miss. For four seasons, Banks led the Tigers to a 27-7-1 record as the team won or shared the Southern Intercollegiate Conference each of those seasons.
Banks was previously named to the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1995 and to the WVSU “W” Club Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Coahoma Community College in 2013 as well as the state of Mississippi Community College Foundation Sports Hall of Fame. In addition, Banks was honored by the American Football Coaches Association with the organization’s 2016 Trailblazer Award.
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