It's A Celebration: Tavian Banks

by Adam Jacobi on Oct 23, 2008 8:32 AM CDT in Iowa Hawkeyes Football

Thanks to the completely assholish nature of the UI sports department, old Iowa highlights are extremely scarce on the Internets; embeddable ones are practically extinct. Luckily, we did find one of Iowa's fleet fox of the late 90s, Tavian Banks. Despite spending only one year as a full-time starter, Tavian ended up 4th on Iowa's all-time rushing list and holds team records for rushing yards and TDs in a season. It's this that Shonn Greene has his sights set on, but it's going to take one hell of a close on the season.

Tavian was just taking off in Jacksonville before a hellacious ankle injury--no, "injury" is too benign a word... ankle murderdeathkill--cut his career short. He attempted a comeback, but he was noticeably slower, and nobody cares for a 200-ish pound tailback who runs like Ron Dayne. Shame, really.

So while I work on a Shonn Greene/NFL longform for later today, here's a set of highlights to keep us all entertained for the next few hours. You're welcome.

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If I remember right

He scored the only touchdown in the state championship between Bettendorf? and Heelan in 1993 or something. Heartbreaking, Jerry Plathe, linebacker for the Crusaders missed a gap which allowed the tut down.

by Duez I say on Oct 23, 2008 9:24 AM CDT reply actions

He was dinged up for a lot of that season too

If he was 100% all year he would have had 2000 yards and 20 TDs.

by Internet Legend on Oct 23, 2008 9:54 AM CDT reply actions

Maybe this is just me

but I’d rather watch a RB juke a guy out of his pads than watch an amazing pitch and catch. That was fun to watch

by chitownhawkeye on Oct 23, 2008 10:24 AM CDT reply actions

I was more of Sedrick Shaw guy

But I did love Tavian Banks. I can’t believe we had both those guys in the same backfield for awhile. That highlight video is awesome too. Watching Tavian run all over a completely overmatched Tulsa team never gets old.

by NorseHawk on Oct 23, 2008 11:05 AM CDT reply actions

Timmy D, too.

There was a ton of NFL talent on those mid-90’s teams. Sigh.

by telepathetic on Oct 23, 2008 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Well, yeah, him too

But Timmy Dwight does not deserve to be confined to a short comment. He deserves an entire blog dedicated solely to his greatness.

by NorseHawk on Oct 23, 2008 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions

I remember

when my high school (Jefferson) team was kick ass. I believe (perhaps not, but that is how I will always think of it) we beat Tim Dwight (sometimes known as City High), but in state semis ran into the nightmare known as Tavian Banks.

And then we didn’t win another game until we played Regis. REGIS. Tavian Banks PTSD.

by LawDeeDaw on Oct 23, 2008 12:14 PM CDT reply actions

I call BS

because Jefferson has never been good at football. Granted, during the early 90s you were better than my alma mater, Wash, but that’s just like being the smartest kid in special ed.

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Oct 23, 2008 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions

And to think

I had managed to block the memory of the banana-peel uniforms from my mind. Now, it’s back. What year did Iowa rock those again, ’94? ’95?

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Oct 23, 2008 12:33 PM CDT reply actions

If memory serves, it was '94 and '95.

It seems longer than that.

by telepathetic on Oct 23, 2008 2:00 PM CDT reply actions

GOOD POINT

The lack of Hawkeye Highlights on the internet is a shame.

I’d also like to see some of Sedrick Shaw’s highlights. Not to be found anywhere.

Calling UofI – - beef up GoHawks.com or release some stuff to scothawk.

by NCHawk on Oct 23, 2008 2:57 PM CDT reply actions

Listen,

if you want to listen to Enya, just man up and do so. Don’t try to use Scothawk as a cover for your love of Irish soft-rock easy listening music.

But yes, the UofI needs to open up the vault and get more clips out there.

I ate the blue ones ... they taste like burning.

by HoyaGoon on Oct 23, 2008 4:23 PM CDT up reply actions

He is sitting on a gold mine

Scothawk once said he will not sell his videos. They will only be stream-able from his website (except the .mov’s). I would pay him for copies of his flash videos though. Unless there is a way to convert those files to WMV or something.

by Duez I say on Oct 23, 2008 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Ankle?

Knee injury is what ended Tavian’s career. Torn ACL, PCL and LCL in his left knee after being hit out-of-bounds during a game against Atlanta, I believe. He never was the same. His NFL career was just about to take off too.

by JamesMouton on Oct 24, 2008 10:25 AM CDT reply actions

I've said this before...

…but how the 1996 Iowa Hawkeyes lost 3 games, including a game to freaking Tulsa, baffles me to this day. That team had like 10 starters that went on to play on Sundays, and a couple more that would have barring injury. Banks, Shaw, Dwight, Damon Gibson, Ross Verba, Mike Goff, Tom Knight, Damien Robinson IIRC, it was just unreal. Vernon Rollins at LB was an animal before he destroyed his knee.

That team should have gone 11-1. Ohio State should have been the only loss that season in terms of talent vs. talent. They had a couple games (Tulsa, Northwestern at home), where they just sleepwalked. Maybe Fry didn’t have it anymore by that season, but when they looked good, like their 31-0 dismantling of Wisconsin, their upset win in Happy Valley or their 27-0 beatdown of Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl, they were one of my favorite Iowa teams to watch.

by DonnyDonovan on Oct 24, 2008 11:56 AM CDT reply actions

I recall Banks getting hurt twice with the Jags....

….first time, I recall it was an ankle. Shame, because Fred Taylor had just gotten hurt and Tavian was going to start a few games.

Then he did the knee, but good.

He’s my favorite Iowa RB of all-time. Couldn’t go for short yardage, couldn’t run hard between the tackles, but to my mind was the most elegant pure runner I’ve ever seen. He absolutely GLIDED down the field, like a dancer or something.

And yes, I’m married. There is no intentional homosexual subtext to the above, despite my use of terms like ‘elegant’, ‘dancer,’ and ‘rock hard thighs’.

Wait. Guess I didn’t use rock hard thighs. Please ignore.

Seriously. I do NOT have a man crush on T. Banks. In fact, I just had sex with my wife just a few minutes ago. And she is really hot.

Like Tavian running down the field.

If it's not too much trouble, search your soul--and then ask yourself if maybe I might have a point.

by The Director on Oct 24, 2008 12:31 PM CDT reply actions

Nice, but was there a poster of Tavian Banks on your ceiling above your bed? I would be proud of that, not ashamed.

by Duez I say on Oct 24, 2008 12:53 PM CDT up reply actions

I had a mirror on the ceiling...

…but I slept next to a poster of Tavian Banks in my bed.

Ah, those Saturday nights back in 1997, lying in my bed, looking up at that mirror, seeing that poster of Tavian Banks reflected in it.

Oh, sorry. Got lost in the past, apparently. Besides, I need to go and have sex with my super-hot wife again. Did I mention that we do it all the time? ALL THE TIME.

And then I’m going to cook some steaks on the grill, curse loudly and spit, and HAVE SEX WITH MY WIFE YET AGAIN.

If it's not too much trouble, search your soul--and then ask yourself if maybe I might have a point.

by The Director on Oct 24, 2008 4:23 PM CDT reply actions