Ted Bank

Bank attended high school in Flint, Michigan,[3] and after graduating, he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 18. He served on the Mexican border and played quarterback for an Army football team. When the U.S. entered World War I in 1917, Bank served with the 32nd Infantry Division of the American Expeditionary Force in France. He saw combat in several battles and was gassed and suffered a knee injury from shrapnel.[4] He was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant at age 20, although "a special dispensation had to be secured to make him an officer because he was under 21."[4] Before the end of the war, he was again promoted to first lieutenant.[5] Bank was decorated by both the French and British governments, receiving the French Croix de Guerre. After the war, Bank served with the Army of Occupation on the Rhine for more than six months.[4]

Bank in 1921

After his discharge from the military, Bank enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor in 1919. Despite the wartime injury to his knee, Bank tried out for the Wolverines football team. A specially constructed knee brace enabled him to play football,[4] and he played halfback on the freshman football team in 1919.[3] In 1920, Bank started three of Michigan's seven games at quarterback.[6] The Wolverines were undefeated and unscored upon in Bank's three games as the starting quarterback—a 21–0 victory over Tulane, a 14–0 victory over Chicago and a 3–0 victory over Minnesota.[7] Press accounts indicated that he was "responsible in large measure" for Michigan's 14–0 victory over Amos Alonzo Stagg's Chicago Maroons.[8] The Michigan Alumnus noted:

"For hours after the [Chicago] game was over Michigan students and alumni were singing the praises of Theodore Banks [sic], substitute quarterback. Put into the opening lineup almost at the eleventh hour, because of an injury to Jack Dunn, the little sophomore played the greatest game of the day. His generalship was faultless, his open field running was spectacular and above all he kept up the morale of the team in such a fashion that victory was never in doubt."[9]

As a junior in 1921, Bank won the role as Michigan's starting quarterback. He started four of the team's six games at quarterback and a fifth game at left halfback.[10] He was injured during the 1921 season, and Irwin Uteritz took over as starting quarterback.[8] Michigan did not lose a game in which Bank played quarterback during the 1920 and 1921 seasons.[4][11] Bank was mentioned by Walter Camp for All-American honors after the 1921 season and appeared to be a leading All-American candidate in 1922.[4][5] However, a broken foot kept Bank from playing football as a senior.[4][12] Several days after sustaining the injury, Bank was married to Madylin Huber of Detroit at the home of his parents. Bank stood with the aid of crutches during the wedding ceremony.[13] He graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1923.[4]

Following college, Bank accepted a position in Louisiana as the head football coach at Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, west of New Orleans. Coaching at a school with only fifty male students, Bank's teams in 1925[5] and 1926[14] did not allow a single point to be scored by its opponents.

Col. Theodore Bank, chief of the Army's athletics and recreation branch during World War II

In February 1941, Bank, who had remained in the Army Reserves following his service in World War I, was ordered by the War Department to report for active duty in Washington, D.C.[32][33] He was placed in charge of a $3 million program to build field houses and gymnasiums across the country.[34][35] In February 1942, Bank was promoted from the rank of major to lieutenant colonel,[36] and he eventually attained the rank of colonel. He was involved in organizing athletics and recreation in the U.S. and in overseas theaters of war. Bank was the chief of the Army's athletics and recreation branch for three years and in 1944 was named assistant to Maj. Gen. Joseph W. Byron, the head of the Army's special services division.[37]

In January 1945, Bank was released from the Army and was appointed as the president of the Athletic Institute of America, a non-profit group headquartered in Chicago and having the purpose of promoting physical fitness through athletics, recreation and research.[37] As president of the Athletic Institute, Bank advocated the expansion of sports programs and espoused the view that collegiate and high school athletics played an important part in World War II and for the country's future preparedness.[38] In April 1945, Bank noted, "If we had had such a program after the World War up to Pearl Harbor, we wouldn't have had married men with children being drafted, and sent into war zones. We wouldn't have had to take fathers because there wouldn't have been nearly so many rejections by draft boards, nor nearly so many medical discharges."[38] In 1955, Bank delivered a speech in Los Angeles, telling recreation and athletic leaders that, with an increase of more than 11 million youngsters by 1956, there was "a crying need for increased youth instruction and athletic fields in America."[39] Bank remained president of the Athletic Institute for more than 20 years, until his retirement at the end of 1966. At the end of 1966, Bank became the chairman of the board and was replaced as president by former Notre Dame football star, Larry "Moon" Mullins.[40]

In June 1949, Bank received a master's degree in physical education from Springfield College.[41]

In 1951, Bank was the recipient of the Simon A. McNeely Honor Award given annually by The Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education.[42] In 1966, USA Volleyball awarded him the George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball Award.[43]

In October 1973, the University of Idaho honored Bank (then residing in Palm Desert, California) with "Coach Bank Day," including a reunion with 85 former Idaho athletes and a dinner in his honor.[44][45] He was also inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.[46]

Bank and his wife had two children.[5] Their son, Theodore P. Bank II (1923–1981), was an anthropologist and explorer.[47] In 1950, Ted Bank Sr., and/or Ted Bank,Jr., led an expedition by University of Michigan scientists to the Aleutian Islands and discovered ancient cave dwellings on an unnamed rock off the southwestern tip of Tanaga Island.[48][49][50] The rock was given the designation, "Michigan Rock."[49]

Bank died in June 1986 at age 88; he was a resident of Indian Wells, California, at the time of his death.[2][51]