Photo: White House photographer / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ernie Banks is one of those players who makes you fall in love with the game all over again just by reading about him. "Mr. Cub" spent his entire 19-year career with the Chicago Cubs — a team that famously couldn't buy a World Series — and yet he reportedly never complained, never demanded a trade, and greeted every game day with his signature "Let's play two!" The back-to-back National League MVP awards in 1958 and 1959 were earned on a losing squad, which tells you everything about how dominant he was as an individual talent. A shortstop with that kind of power was genuinely rare for his era. Getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 felt right — he wasn't just a ballplayer, he was a genuine ambassador for joy. Gone at 83, just days before his birthday, but the legend? Absolutely eternal.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ernie Banks
- Name (Japanese)
- アーニー・バンクス
- Reading
- あーにー・ばんくす
- Born
- January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Goat
- Origin
- Dallas, Texas, United States
- Occupation
- baseball player
2. Background
- High school
- Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts
Awards & achievements
- Rawlings Gold Glove Award
- Library of Congress Living Legend
- 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 1959 Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
- 1958 Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Ernie Banks born?
January 31, 1931 – January 23, 2015.
Where is Ernie Banks from?
Ernie Banks is from Dallas, Texas, United States.
What does Ernie Banks do?
Ernie Banks works as baseball player.
Baseball player — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.