User:Paulmcdonald/Joe Banks

Joseph "Joe" Banks (September 8, 1919 – June 19, 2007) was a long-time college athletics figure in Ohio and Pennsylvania. He worked as a head coach for American football and track & field.

Geneva College
Banks was the 24th head college football coach for the Geneva College Golden Tornadoes located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and he held that position for two seasons, from 1967 until 1968. His coaching record at Geneva was 1 win, 14 losses, and 1 tie. As of completion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 27th at Geneva in total wins and 28th at Geneva in winning percentage (0.094). His one victory came on the last game of the 1967 season against Bridgewater College by a score of 30 to 13.

Ohio Northern
Prior to taking the position at Geneva, he was the head track coach and assistant football coach at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio from 1960 until 1967. where he completed a "turnaround season" in 1962. After coaching at Geneva and a brief stint at a high school, he would return to Ohio Northern in 1971 for the remainder of his career, where he retired in 2002 as an admissions counselor. He has been credited with recruiting more students than any other person to Ohio Northern.

While at Ohio Northern, Banks would regularly hold training sessions for high school athletic administrators on how to run and promote track and field meets as well as how to coach individual events.

Ohio Northern honored his contribution to the university by naming their home track meet the "Joe Banks Invitational."

Military service
Banks served in the United States military during World War II as a Sergeant with the Third Army's 965th Ordnance Heavy Automotive Maintenance company in the Rhineland (Battle of the Bulge) and the Asiatic-Pacific Theatre in the Philippines.

Personal life
Banks earned a Bachelor of Science in education and later a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Northern University. He later compled a Master of Education from Kent State University. He graduated from high school at New Philadelphia in 1937 where he was coached at track & field by Woody Hayes.