| Stumpy Banks |
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Stumpy Banks played football for five years at Clemson. He entered in 1914 as a 105-pound quarterback, and although his feats are almost legendary on the field, he is probably most remembered for manning the sideline chains at virtually all Clemson games for 35 years.
Banks was synonymous with "Big Thursday," and he never played on a team that lost to South Carolina. It was said that "Stumpy has become almost as much a part of the tradition of Big Thursday as the governor's crossing at halftime." He saw his first Clemson-South Carolina game in 1909 and first carried the chain in 1920. He only missed three games until his death in 1961.
Banks was awarded an extra year of play due to the World War effect on eligibility, and he went on to become one of Clemson's greatest backs. He was team captain two years, All-State three years, and All-Southern one year. Banks later coached at Clemson in 1920. He was the fifth of sixth brothers to graduate from Clemson. He is listed on the All-Clemson team from the years 1896-1935. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1975.
