Tommy Banks is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 fullback

Fullback (American football)

A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

.

Born in West Monroe, Louisiana

West Monroe, Louisiana

West Monroe is a city in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 13,250 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, he starred at West Monroe High School

West Monroe High School

West Monroe High School is a high school in West Monroe, Louisiana, United States. It is administered by the Ouachita Parish School Board.It is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The school's mascot is the Rebel.-Band:...

 before earning a scholarship

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

 to Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

 where he played from 1997 to 2000. Banks cemented his place in LSU lore by scoring a touchdown in an upset win over the top ranked and defending national champion Florida Gators

Florida Gators football

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...

 in 1997. On the play, he dove into the end zone

End zone

In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...

 with a defender draped on him, for a 7-yard touchdown that put LSU up 14-0. The dive was immortalized in the October 20, 1997 issue of Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

, which contained an article recapping the game. Banks ended his LSU career with a record tying two touchdown performance in LSU's 28-14 victory over Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in collegiate level football. While the team is officially designated as the Yellow Jackets, it is also referred to as the Ramblin' Wreck. The Yellow Jackets are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

 in the 2000 Peach Bowl.

To this day, satirical Tommy Banks references are routinely made in LSU post-game radio shows.