Entering his 16th year at Southern University and his 11th as Director of Athletics, Coach Roman Banks has helped usher in a new era of championship success, academic achievement and growth for Jaguar Athletics.
For Banks, Southern University is more than a place of employment, it is home.
A Shreveport, Louisiana native, Banks’ connection to Southern runs deep. His father, Southern Hall of Famer Cleophus Banks, brother Carlos Sample, godfather Bob Love and son Tre’lun Banks all wore the Blue and Gold. His daughter, Kennedi Banks, was a member of the Southern cheerleading squad, while his nephews Collyn Givens and Ckelby Givens have also been part of the Jaguar family. Now, Banks is helping shape the future of the same institution that has been woven into his family’s history for generations.
When Roman Banks assumed leadership of Southern University Athletics, he stepped into one of the most critical and challenging periods in the department’s history. The Jaguars needed stability, renewed confidence and a clear vision for the future. Banks embraced the challenge, restructuring the department, strengthening its leadership and support staff, and establishing a culture built around accountability, excellence and championship success.
Along with his team, Banks helped establish the department’s defining motto: “Southern is The Standard, Where Champions are Made and Legends are Forged.” Under his leadership, the words have become far more than a slogan, they have become the blueprint for a transformed Jaguar Athletics program.
What followed has been a remarkable period of growth. Banks has guided Southern Athletics to 24 championships and nine NCAA postseason appearances, while elevating the department academically, financially, operationally and competitively. For the first time since the 2013-14 academic year, Southern reached or won the SWAC Championship in all four major revenue sports.His tenure has been defined not simply by championships won, but by the restoration of pride, expectation and belief in what Southern Athletics can accomplish.
Under Banks’ leadership, Southern has captured four baseball championships, three bowling championships, four football championships, seven women’s basketball championships, four men’s basketball championships, one soccer championship and one tennis championship.
His impact extends well beyond the field and court.
During Banks’ tenure, the cumulative GPA of Southern student-athletes has climbed from 2.63 to 3.24, with nearly 68 percent of Jaguar student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or higher during the 2025-26 academic year. Southern programs have produced multiple perfect Academic Progress Rates, including seven programs that recorded multi-year APR scores of 1,000. In 2025-26 alone, 168 Jaguar student-athletes were named to the SWAC Academic Honor Roll.
Since Banks arrived at Southern, 998 student-athletes have earned their degrees, while over 1,000 have been named to the SWAC Academic Honor Roll.
Banks has also prioritized the growth and visibility of Jaguar Athletics away from competition. Through increased season-ticket sales, fundraising initiatives, the Southern University Athletics Gala and Jaguar Golf Tournament, he has worked to strengthen the department’s financial foundation while creating new opportunities for student-athletes.
Under his direction, Southern Athletics has also expanded its digital and broadcast presence. In 2022, the Jaguar Sports Network launched as an online platform designed to showcase Jaguar Athletics and create additional opportunities for fan engagement and corporate partnerships. In 2025-26, JSN surpassed 150,000 streaming views and, for the first time, provided online video coverage of Southern football, volleyball, soccer, women’s basketball, men’s basketball and baseball during the same academic year.
Banks has also overseen significant improvements to Southern’s athletic facilities, including the completion of a new track inside A.W. Mumford Stadium, the installation of a state-of-the-art Hellas Matrix Helix synthetic turf playing surface, the addition of a new Watchfire videoboard at the F.G. Clark Activity Center and continued improvements planned for A.W. Mumford Stadium.
He also helped secure a landmark five-year extension agreement with Under Armour to become the official athletic apparel outfitter of Southern University, making Southern the first SWAC institution to partner with the global brand.
Before becoming Director of Athletics, Banks built an impressive coaching résumé of his own. He was named the 12th head coach in Southern men's basketball history on May 1, 2011, and went on to compile a 114-85 record, including a 77-31 mark in SWAC play. During his tenure, the Jaguars captured two SWAC Tournament championships, one SWAC regular-season championship and the 2013 HBCU National Championship while making NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2016. Banks also went a remarkable 12-0 against in-state rival Grambling State during his Southern coaching career.
His coaching success was built on a reputation as one of Louisiana’s premier recruiters. Before returning to Southern, Banks served as associate head coach at Southeastern Louisiana, helping the Lions produce seven winning seasons and 140 victories over an eight-year span. Earlier in his career, he spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Southern and served as the Jaguars’ chief recruiter.
Banks spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Southern University where he served as the Jaguars’ chief recruiter. While at Southern, he was responsible for the recruitment of two-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Adarrial Smylie and Dionte Harvey, the 1997-98 SWAC Newcomer of the Year.
Banks’ basketball journey began long before the coaching profession. He starred at Northwestern State from 1987-92, where he remains one of the top players in school history. He ranks seventh all-time in scoring (1,454 points, 118 games, 12.3 average), second in assists (515, 4.4 average, set a career-high 157 assists in a season), third in steals (190, 1.5 spg). Banks was an All-Southland Conference selection (second team) in 1990, when he was also on the six-man All-Southland Tournament team. A severe hamstring injury halted his initial senior season in 1990-91, but he came back to lead the Demons in four categories as a senior in 1991-92, including the Demons in scoring (16.2 ppg) and helped lead NSU to their first winning season in five years where the team establish 23 school records while NSU topped NCAA Division 1 in points per game (95.0 ppg) Banks was named honorable mention All-Southland Conference and was a third-team All-Louisiana selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. He is perhaps best remembered for sinking the decisive free throw with 12 seconds remaining in Northwestern State’s historic 85-82 upset of Kentucky at Rupp Arena in 1988. In October 2011, Banks was inducted into the Northwestern State “N” Club Hall of Fame.
He began his coaching career at Green Oaks High School in Shreveport before becoming the athletic director and head men's basketball coach at Southern University-Shreveport.
A native of Shreveport, Banks was a three-time All-District 2-4A selection at Captain Shreve High School where he averaged 22.7 points and 7.6 assists as a senior in helping lead the Gators to a 28-7 record.
Banks, a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA), Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches (LABC), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Black Coaches Association, is married to the former Tiffaney McCoy, a guidance counselor at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. They are the parents of two children, son Tre’lun (30) and daughter Kennedi (26).
Coach Banks overall coaching record is 270-224.
As a player, coach and administrator, Banks has spent his career building something bigger than himself. From the hardwood to the athletics department’s front office, his journey has always been rooted in one thing, raising the standard.
Now, as he enters his 16th year at Southern and 11th as Director of Athletics, Banks continues to lead with a championship mindset, a commitment to student-athlete success and an unwavering belief in what Jaguar Athletics can become.
