A walk-on in the fall of 1954, Tommy Bankston was offered an athletic scholarship two weeks after he began playing with the Wildcats. He went on to earn four letters in football and four in baseball.
Bankston was a fullback/linebacker for the Wildcats and was fourth in scoring in the Gulf States Conference in 1955 with 48 points. He was team captain that year as well. He played in the same backfield with Hall of Famers Ernie Duplechain, Frank Mobley and Eugene Southern.
In 1954 and 1956, Bankston was named the All Gulf States Conference second baseman. His batting average for 1954 was .294 and for 1956 was .302. He was also captain of the baseball team during 1956-57.
The same determination to excel that marked his playing career also characterized his coaching career. Bankston was a football coach for 13 years, earning the Louisiana Coach of the Year award in 1966-67. He led his team to the brilliant record of 59-17-1.
After he left active coaching, he was principal of Winnfield Senior High School, and during his tenure there, WSHS was voted one of the top five high schools in the state. He also served as superintendent of schools for Winn Parish for five years before going into private business.
Bankston is now the owner of Nursing Homes Management Inc. and is president of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association.
The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Tommy Bankston into the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 26, 1999.
