Autographs
Former Super Bowl QB Tony Banks talks collecting, gifting football cards to kids
Tony Banks was a talented quarterback who spent a decade in the NFL, suiting up for the St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins and Houston Texans.
The first quarterback off the board in the 1996 NFL draft, Banks quickly earned the starting job for the Rams, starting 13 games, playing in 14, and throwing for over 2,500 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie.
After three seasons in Los Angeles, the strong-armed signal caller moved on to Baltimore, where he was a member of the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV championship team, the first in franchise history.
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After the 2001 season in Washington, he spent four years in Houston with the Texans before retiring after the 2005 campaign.
The Michigan State Spartan played for legendary college coach Nick Saban.
Banks finished his NFL career with more than 15,000 passing yards and over 70 TDs.
In this exclusive interview with Sports Collectors Digest, Banks talks about collecting cards as a kid, handing out his cards to youngsters he coaches, and names the players he would most like to collect from today's game.
You've had 956 cards produced over the years. Do you have a favorite card or maybe a most memorable card that you appeared on?
“The ones that I always enjoyed—I try not to, obviously they send you cards when they make them, just like video games, I never played using myself on the game kind of thing—but there were cards that had real pieces of football on the cards, so you could feel that texture, so those are always the ones that I always enjoyed.”
You had a number of rookie cards in 1996. You were on everything from Bowman's Best to Leaf to SP to Ultra, and on down the line. Do you remember seeing yourself on your rookie card for the first time, and if so, what were your thoughts and emotions then, and what are your thoughts looking back today?
“I didn't know really the rookie card prowess and what it meant, but I had … back then you had card deals, you would sign these card deals and they'd send you a box of cards and you'd sign them all. So, I don't know if I remember one particular rookie card, but it's just like seeing yourself on a video game. I hate to keep referencing the video games, but it was a big deal back then. So, when you finally got on a video game, you were ecstatic. I like to think I'm a little too full of myself to play [the game] with myself, because I never agreed with any of my rankings.”
I don't think anybody does, right?
“No, I don't think anybody does, but you know, when I was young, I thought I was destined for the Hall of Fame, and people were just going to have to watch and see. I definitely played a lot of ball, but that didn't happen. So, yeah, I was never really consumed with a particular rookie card or card in general, I just like passing them out to my young nephews, and when I'd go to signings, I'd bring cards and I'd get cards. It always brought a lot of people joy, it seemed like.”
Whether it was in San Diego, Michigan State, or in the NFL, when was the first time you were asked for your autograph?
“I don't remember the exact date, but it was definitely at Michigan State, and I was very, I wouldn't say anti-autograph, but my cousin, Chip Banks, played at USC. He was a third overall pick in a draft, this monster linebacker, and he played for the Cleveland Browns, and then the Colts, and one year with the Chargers. … He played on those SC teams with Marcus Allen. So, Marcus Allen is from my neighborhood, he's literally from like 10 houses down, so I was a big Marcus Allen fan, so one of those SC games, because we would drive up there, we'd go pick up my grandma in Riverside, and we'd go to most of those home games, and I saw Marcus after the game, and I asked for his autograph, and he just completely blew me off. We've had a conversation since then. I understand sometimes you can't sign for everybody, but it was just me, so I made a decision right then, I'm probably say 10 years old, and I was like, ‘I'm never asking for anybody's autograph again, they're going to ask for mine.’ So, it was kind of one of those moments in life where you're like, OK, I'm going to show him.”
That's awesome how incredibly well it worked out for you. A lot of kids probably said that, but not very few actually got to the point where people were asking for their autograph.
“For sure. All my friends thought they were going to go to the league, too.”
You played for the Rams, Ravens, Cowboys, the Skins, Texans, some of the cooler, more rabid franchises in the sport. What was your most memorable fan interaction over the course of your career?
“Well, I don't claim the Cowboys. … I don't claim the Cowboys, just a little bitterness there. I would say I don't necessarily feel like there was the one fan interaction. I do remember intensely being booed. I guess that can be considered a fan interaction. First I got drafted to the Rams, I was supposed to be the developmental guy. You know, rookie quarterbacks didn't start back then. It wasn't really a real thing. You had the Drew Bledsoes and the John Elways and you had these random guys, but most of the time you were drafted, even if you were high drafted, you sat behind an older dude. I actually ended up winning the job and they were great to me in St. Louis. The team was new, they were really good to me my first year and a half, but if you can't win, eventually the potential label kind of dies down. I got my mailbox pulled out of the ground. I got my house TP'd. I got trash dumped in my yard. I'm not knowing any better. My first house was fairly close to the practice facility, and it was just a blue-collar neighborhood. I thought of myself as a blue-collar guy. It was just kind of one of the bigger homes in this little neighborhood. I knew most of my neighbors, but they're still not okay with losing. So yeah, those interactions definitely stand out.”
You mentioned that you were a card collector. What did the card collection look like as a kid and do you happen to have any of those today? Do you ever pick up a pack or a box of cards today?
“I wish I would have kept them. I left them at my father's house for so long, not really thinking they were going to be of any value. They were just like a toy to me. I'd line up the cards and line up Eric Dickerson in the backfield or Walter Payton in the backfield. I'd have John Elway at quarterback and what not. Like Lawrence Taylor, my outside linebacker, so I had a lot of these guys not knowing if they were rookie cards or valuable cards. You'd get a stick of gum with each pack. So you'd get the best of both worlds. They'd give me my sugar rush and I'd get 20 cards or whatever it is. So yeah, those are fond memories. People slowly took them out of my dad's house. My dad was kind of the neighborhood dad, so I had a lot of friends and people that would go over there. So I don't know if they five-finger discounted me here. What happened was they slowly but surely started disappearing. I don't have many of those now, but I still pass out my cards to kids that I train, youth kids. I'm also a coach, so I get to meet a lot of kids, at least the younger kids. You can't give a teenager football cards. They look at you crazy, but you get the young ones. The young ones still appreciate it.”
If you could collect one current NFL player's cards, who would you want to collect and why? Who are you a fan of right now?
“Well, I'm an avid quarterback evaluator and fan, but I'm a huge Derrick Henry fan. Partly because my son doesn't like him because he doesn't look fast. My son's like, you got to look fast. But I've always been a fan of physical guys who kind of impose their will on the other team. Think about Miles Garrett, guys like that. Patrick Willis from back in the day, and I got a chance to play with Ray Lewis. Right now, I'd probably say Derrick Henry. Just because you asked me that question, I wasn't ready for it. But yeah, I think I'd like the stiff arm.”
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