Iowa football: 30 greatest players in Hawkeyes history

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2 Nov 1996: Running Tavian Banks #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes uses his left arm to brace himself for impact as he is pushed out of bounds by linebacker Dennis Stallings #46 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during a carry in the Hawkeyes 31-21 victory over the /

Tavian Banks didn’t have the luxury of starting for multiple seasons with the Iowa football team, but he made the most of one season as a full-time starter.

After backing up Sedrick Shaw (spoiler alert: he will not be showing up on this list) for three seasons, Banks broke out in a big way in 1997 when he rushed for 1,639 yards on 246 carries, good for a 6.7 yard per carry average and 17 touchdowns. He also added 200 yards and two receiving touchdowns in the passing game as well.

The 1,639 yards and 17 touchdowns were both team records until 2008 when Shonn Green surpassed both of those marks.

Despite not getting much time in his first three years, he still managed to accumulate over 1,000 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. His cumulative stats for his Iowa football career were 2,773 yards and 36 total touchdowns, which still stands as a career record for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

After his Hawkeyes career, Banks was drafted in the fourth round and spent several seasons in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints before injuries ended his promising career.

The Bettendorf native was elected into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

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