Ernie Banks

MLB career

Ernie Banks joined the Chicago Cubs in late 1953 and debuted on September 17 at age 22, appearing in 10 games at Wrigley Field. As the Cubs’ first Black player, he was among the former Negro league players who skipped the minors to enter MLB. Jackie Robinson visited Banks during that first game, advising him to listen and learn, which shaped Banks’ quiet approach. Banks later said he stayed silent but aimed to make a difference.

In his 1954 rookie season, he hit 19 home runs and placed second in Rookie of the Year voting. That year, he and Gene Baker, the Cubs’ second Black player, became the first all-Black double-play duo in major league history. Banks also helped popularize lighter bats after he accidentally grabbed a teammate’s bat and appreciated how easy it was to swing quickly.

Personal life

Ernie Banks married Mollye Ector in 1953 after proposing by letter while stationed in Germany. He filed for divorce two years later, but they reconciled briefly in early 1959. That summer, they settled on a $65,000 payment instead of alimony. Banks then eloped with Eloyce Johnson; they had twin sons within a year and a daughter four years later.

In 1963, Ector sued Banks for missing payments on a life insurance policy from the divorce. A lifelong Republican, Banks ran for alderman in Chicago’s 8th Ward in 1963, finishing third with 12 percent of the vote. He later reflected that voters saw him only as a baseball player, not a qualified official. In 1966, he worked at Seaway National Bank and took a banking correspondence course.

He invested in ventures like a gas station, and by age 55 had assets worth about $4 million. In 1967, Banks and Bob Nelson became the first Black owners of a U.S. Ford dealership, Ernie Banks Ford on Chicago’s south side.

Later years

Banks served on the Chicago Transit Board from 1969 to 1981. After retiring as a player, he worked as a team ambassador, though author Phil Rogers noted the team never placed him in a position of significant authority. In 1983, after the Tribune Company bought the Cubs from the Wrigley family, Banks briefly severed ties with the team; officials anonymously told the press he had been fired for being unreliable. He was soon reconciled and resumed making appearances.

In 1984, when the Cubs won the NL East, the club named him an honorary team member. At the 1990 All-Star Game at Wrigley Field, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. In 2006, Crain's Chicago Business reported Banks was part of a group interested in buying the Cubs. He established the Live Above & Beyond Foundation, which assists youth and the elderly, and in 2008 released a charity wine, Ernie Banks 512 Chardonnay.

Banks was an ordained minister and presided at the wedding of MLB pitcher Sean Marshall. A statue of Banks was unveiled in front of Wrigley Field on March 31, 2008.

Honors and legacy

Banks was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, receiving votes on 321 of 383 ballots. He was the only player elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America that year. During his induction speech on August 8, he ended with his famous catchphrase. The Cubs retired his uniform number 14 in 1982, the first player so honored by the team.

In 1999, Banks was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, and The Sporting News ranked him number 38 on its list of Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. In 2020, The Athletic ranked him at number 65 on its Baseball 100 list.

In 2022, The Sporting News named Banks on its Chicago Mount Rushmore of Sports alongside Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, and Bobby Hull. He was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln in 1970. In 2009, he was named a Library of Congress Living Legend, and in 2013 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Did You Know?

• Banks was the second of twelve children born to Eddie and Essie Banks in Dallas, Texas.
• As a child, Banks preferred swimming, basketball, and football over baseball.
• Banks guest starred on an episode of Yes, Dear in 2003.