Ernie Banks

Who is Ernie Banks?

Ernest "Ernie" Banks, nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a Major League Baseball shortstop and first baseman between 1953 and 1971. For all 19 seasons, Banks played for the Chicago Cubs in the National League. Banks was an NL All-Star for 11 seasons, playing in 14 All-Star games.

Banks was born in Dallas. He entered Negro league baseball in 1950 and played for the Kansas City Monarchs. During his tenure in Kansas City, he also served in the military. He began his major league career in 1953, signing with the Cubs. Banks made his first All-Star Game appearance in 1955. His best seasons came in 1958 and 1959, when he won back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards. He led the league in home runs in 1958 and was the league's runs batted in leader in 1958 and 1959. He led the NL again in home runs in 1960.

Banks moved to first base after an old knee injury flared up in 1961. Cubs manager Leo Durocher became frustrated with Banks in the mid-1960s. Durocher said that the slugger's performance was faltering, but he felt that he was unable to remove Banks from the lineup due to the star's popularity among Chicago baseball fans. Three of Banks's All-Star Game appearances came between 1965 and 1969. He was named a player-coach in his last years with the Cubs and he joined the regular coaching staff after his retirement as a player.