Dorothy Banks

Dr. Banks attended Morehead State University from 1958 to 1962. He was the first
Black athlete to receive an athletic scholarship at the school. He started his collegiate
career as a basketball player for the Eagles. But, due to the Jim Crow laws and civil
rights issues of the time, he switched from basketball to the track and field team, where
he became an all-conference performer.

Through his amazing work ethic, Dr. Banks was a member of the Dean’s List all four
years at MSU, where he graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1966, he
returned to MSU to become the head track and field coach, the first black head coach of
any sport in the then Ohio Valley Conference. In 1987, he was entered into the Hall of
Fame at Morehead State. In March of 2008, he received the MSU’s Founders Day
Award for University Service.

Dr. Banks earned his master’s and PhD degree from the University of Illinois. During this
time, he continued his love of sports and served as an assistant track and field coach at
the university, while simultaneously finishing his doctoral studies. Dr. Banks was an
associate professor at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Cortland, NY, and
the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. At Howard University in Washington, DC, he
was department chair and tenured professor. He retired from Howard University in
2012.

Upon his passing, his wife, Dorothy Banks, established this scholarship in his memory.
She decided to transition the scholarship to an endowment fund in 2024 to ensure his
legacy was passed down for generations to come.