Sports

What Carl Banks learned about Pat Shurmur as college teammates

There are some things you never remember and other things you cannot forget.

When a guy you used to hang with played ball in your home state, you always remember what high school he attended.

So, when Carl Banks was asked about Pat Shurmur, it was not quite shocking the first thing Banks said was to name Shurmur’s Michigan High School, “Divine Child.’’

Yes, the former Giants linebacker knows plenty about the next head coach of the Giants and believes a kindred spirit is about to enter the building.

Banks was a Michigan State hot-shot senior linebacker from Flint, Mich., in 1983 when Shurmur arrived on the East Lansing campus as a freshman from Dearborn, about 70 miles away way from Banks’ hometown. All these years later, there soon will be a reunion, of sorts. Banks is the Giants’ radio analyst and heavily involved in the team’s broadcast operations, and Shurmur, whenever the Vikings are done playing, will become the 18th head coach in Giants history.





“He’ll make it,’’ Banks told The Post on Wednesday. “You don’t have to try to fit in, you just have to be yourself. That’s where a lot of people are so intimidated with the whole ‘being in New York type of thing.’ He grew up in Michigan like I did. I’ve been here for 35 years and doing OK.

“He just has to be himself. He’s got great values, he understands what comes with the job. He’s gonna have a big support system here in New York. There’s gonna be outside and there’s gonna be inside. The team is invested in his success. I think he’s not gonna have an issue with his players. He’s got a few Michigan State Spartans in the building, so he’ll be all right.’’





The first impression, made 35 years ago, was not one of shock and awe.

“He was an undersized offensive lineman, let’s just call it that,’’ Banks said, chuckling at the memory. “He would play wherever they wanted him to. He was like an undersized guard or center.’’

Often, a senior and one of the best players in the program would not have much to do with an incoming freshman, but that was not the case with Banks and Shurmur. Muddy Waters was out and George Perles was in as the Spartans head coach, leveling the playing field when it came to making a first impression on the new man in charge.

“During that period we were all in the same orbit because of the new coach. Perles pretty much treated everybody the same,’’ Banks said. “He was charged with getting that program back on track. We were all kind of in the same kettle, if you will. We had Buck Nystrom running our offseason program so we were all suffering together. Considering I was probably one of the better players at that time, George was particularly hard on me, so I definitely didn’t get any preference.’’





Banks completed his final year at Michigan State and went on to become the Giants’ first-round pick, the No. 3-overall selection in the 1984 draft. Shurmur went on to become a mainstay for Perles, a three-year starter at center and in 1987 a co-captain on a Rose Bowl-winning team.

“He was a tough guy,’’ Banks said. “Fun teammate. Just overall good person, great person. Solid person. Good character guy. I was in a situation at Michigan State prior to those guys coming where we had some really bad kids. Like, really bad. That was kind of ushering in a new class of Spartan football players.

“Great character guy. Hard working.’’

Banks, 55, kept close tabs on Shurmur, 52, watching as Shurmur became an offensive assistant at Michigan State, working for Nick Saban, then embarking on an NFL coaching career that landed him in Cleveland as a head coach and most recently as the offensive coordinator for the Vikings — who face the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC Championship. Soon enough, Shurmur gets the Giants to mold and shape as he desires.

“Here’s a kid who grew up in Michigan, he grew up in football so he gets it,’’ Banks said. “He doesn’t have to try to fit in New York. New York is a melting pot, everybody fits in, if you fit in and are yourself, authentically who you are. He’ll do just fine, believe me.’’





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