Carl Banks Named to Pro Football Hall of Fame Semifinalist List

Former Giants linebacker Carl Banks has been selected as one of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Banks, who played with the Giants from 1984-92, was a first-round draft pick out of Michigan State, the last linebacker the Giants drafted in the first round.

Named to the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team, Banks was a key contributor to the Giants teams who won Super Bowls XXI and XXV.

Banks, who finished his NFL career by spending two seasons in Cleveland with Bill Belichick, then the Browns head coach who had been the Giants defensive coordinator, and one season with Washington, appeared in 173 career games, 125 as a Giant.

With the Giants, Banks recorded 627 career tackles and 36 sacks in addition to all three of his career interceptions.

One of his finest performances might have been in the Giants Super Bowl XXI win over the Broncos. That day, Banks finished with a team-leading 10 tackles in the game and was part of a huge third-quarter goal-line stand when he stopped Broncos running back Sammy Winder for a loss of four yards.

Banks retired after the 1995 season. He is currently a member of the Giants broadcasting crew.

The Modern-Era players list will be reduced to 15 Finalists that will be announced on Jan. 2, 2020.

The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on “Selection Saturday,” on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV.

The Selection Committee will elect five Modern-Era players for the Class of 2020.