John Banaszak
John Arthur Banaszak (born August 24, 1950) is an American football coach and former player. He was formerly the head football coach at Robert Morris University. Banaszak played in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1975 to 1981. He is a three-time Super Bowl Champion. Banaszak was a starter at right defensive end for the Steelers in Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. He later played in the United States Football League (USFL), winning a championship as a starting defensive end for the Michigan Panthers in 1983. Banazak played for Michigan in 1983 and 1984 and for the Memphis Showboats in 1985.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 24, 1950 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1972–1974 | Eastern Michigan |
| 1975–1981 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1983–1984 | Michigan Panthers |
| 1985 | Memphis Showboats |
| Position(s) | Defensive end, defensive tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1995–1998 | Washington & Jefferson (DC) |
| 1999–2002 | Washington & Jefferson |
| 2003–2013 | Robert Morris (PA) (assistant) |
| 2014–2017 | Robert Morris (PA) |
| Baseball | |
| 1995–1999 | Washington & Jefferson |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 46–42 (football) 56–84 (baseball) |
| Tournaments | Football 3–4 (NCAA D-III playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 4 PAC (1999–2002) | |
After his football career, owned a chain of oil change centers and worked for the Peters Township Recreation Department.[1] In 1995, Banaszak became defensive coordinator of Washington & Jefferson College football team.[1] He was promoted to head coach in 1999.[2] He was fired from W&J after publicly exploring other coaching jobs.[1] He left the college as the third-most winning coach in school history.[1]
Banaszak was an assistant football coach under Joe Walton at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.[3] He officially began his duties as head coach at Robert Morris in December 2013
Banaszak was hospitalized in Pittsburgh on April 23, 2009 in serious condition. It was first reported that he had suffered multiple aneurysms. That was later found to be incorrect and he may have suffered from an overdose of aspirin which was being taken for neck pain.[4]
Head coaching record
Football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington & Jefferson Presidents (Presidents' Athletic Conference) (1999–2002) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Washington & Jefferson | 9–3 | 4–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division III Second Round | ||||
| 2000 | Washington & Jefferson | 9–2 | 4–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division III First Round | ||||
| 2001 | Washington & Jefferson | 11–1 | 4–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division III Second Round | ||||
| 2002 | Washington & Jefferson | 9–3 | 5–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division III Second Round | ||||
| Washington & Jefferson: | 38–9 | 17–0 | |||||||
| Robert Morris Colonials (Northeast Conference) (2014–2017) | |||||||||
| 2014 | Robert Morris | 1–10 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 2015 | Robert Morris | 4–7 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
| 2016 | Robert Morris | 2–9 | 1–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 2017 | Robert Morris | 2–9 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| Robert Morris: | 8–34 | 3–19 | |||||||
| Total: | 46–42 | ||||||||
References
- "Former Steeler fired as W&J coach: Uncertainty spelled doom for Banaszak". Associated Press – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . December 14, 2002. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
- "Presidents Football 2009" (PDF). Washington & Jefferson College. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
- Emert, Rich (October 30, 2006). "Q&A: John Banaszak: A three-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers, he stays in the game as a college coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
- Fabregas, Luis (April 25, 2009). "Former Steelers DE Banaszak recovering". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2011.