ASU #31
Pierre Banks
Class: Sr.
Hometown: Durham, N.C.
High School: Southern
Height: 6-0
Weight: 210
Position: LB
Birthdate: April 23, 1986
The leader of Appalachian’s defense ... is one of only two players on the squad that saw playing time for Appalachian in 2004 — the last season that ASU did not win the national title (DB Billy Riddle is the other) ... anchor of a linebacking crew that ranks among the nation’s best ... needs just 47 tackles to move into ASU’s all-time top 10 in the category ... in addition to being an all-American and two-time all-conference performer on the field, is a standout in the classroom ... earned a bachelor’s degree in just three years and will complete coursework for a master’s degree in the 2008 fall semester.
2007: Earned first-team all-America recognition from The Sports Network and first-team all-SoCon accolades from the league’s media ... ranked fourth on team with 108 total tackles ... was one of only eight SoCon players to notch triple-digit tackles and ranked 15th in the league with 7.2 stops per game ... tied for league lead with three fumble recoveries and tied for second with two forced fumbles ... led all players with 12 tackles (nine solo) in season-opening victory at Michigan ... set the tone early in the ballgame with a bone-jarring sack of U-M quarterback Chad Henne that forced a Michigan punt on the game’s third series and made a key fumble recovery to stop a Wolverine drive in the third quarter ... blocked a field goal in home-opening win over Lenoir-Rhyne ... registered seven or more tackles in each of the season’s first four games ... had two tackles for loss and second sack of the year in loss to Georgia Southern ... returned his only interception of the season 19 yards to help key a 79-35 rout over archrival Western Carolina ... turned in an outstanding performance with 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in first-round playoff win over James Madison ... made one of the biggest plays in Mountaineer history when he recovered a fumble forced by fellow linebacker Jacque Roman at the ASU 10 yard line with 22 seconds remaining to preserve a 28-27 victory ... forced a fumble in win over Richmond in national semifinals ... in addition to recognition for on-field performance, earned first-team academic all-district, academic all-conference and National Association of Directors of Athletics national academic all-star team accolades for his efforts in the classroom.
2006: Led team and ranked ninth in the Southern Conference with 110 tackles on the season ... a second-team all-SoCon selection by the league’s media ... led team in tackles five times in 15 games ... racked up a team-best nine tackles and recovered a fumble in season-opening setback at NC State ... a week later, earned national weekly all-star recognition after making a career-high 16 stops and forcing a pair of fumbles in a 21-10 win over No. 12 James Madison ... paced a stauch defensive effort in 14-7 victory over Wofford with 14 tackles ... registered team-best 10 stops and only sack of season in 40-7 rout over No. 8 Furman ... forced a fumble and led ASU with eight tackles in win at archrival Western Carolina ... notched just four tackles but collected a QB hurry and pass break-up versus Montana State in national quarterfinals ... made six tackles (five solo), including one behind the line of scrimmage, in national-title victory over No. 3 UMass ... collected academic all-conference plaudits and ASU athletics academic honor roll recognition for efforts in the classroom.
2005: Made 57 tackles in 15 games, good for 11th on the squad ... made three starts (at Wofford, at LSU, at Elon) ... racked up 11 stops apiece in first-career starts at Wofford and before 90,000-plus at LSU ... had seven tackles, including one for loss, at Elon ... turned in perhaps his finest performance in national semifinal win versus Furman ... made six stops in win, including three on goal-line stand that kept the Paladins out of the end zone in the third quarter ... Banks was in on stops on first-and-goal from the 5 yard line, second-and-goal from the 4 and fourth-and-goal from the 1 to keep the Mountaineers within two points ... excelled in the classroom as an academic all-Southern Conference selection and member of ASU’s academic honor roll.
2004: Had limited playing time in early home contests versus Eastern Kentucky and The Citadel ... did not record a tackle before season ended due to injury ... excelled in the classroom as a member of ASU’s academic honor roll.
High School: A first-team all-state selection at Southern Durham H.S. ... also raked in 5-County 3A Player of the Year, area Player of the Year, first-team all-conference and all-area and team defensive MVP accolades as a senior ... coached by Gordan Walters ... also lettered in track and field.
Personal: Full name is Pierre Montray Banks ... born April 23, 1986 (22 years old) ... son of John A. Banks ... is the 16th of 17 children in his family ...
needed just three years to earn a bachelor’s degree in communication-electronic media/broadcasting ... is currently pursuing a Master’s degree, which he expects to complete studies for during the fall semester 
... was named ASU’s 2007 male recipient of the SoCon’s prestigious Coleman Lew Leadership Award .
ASU #35 
