Portal:Chicago/Selected biography/176

Ernest "Ernie" Banks, nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine", is a retired American professional baseball player. He was a Chicago Cubs shortstop and first baseman for 19 seasons, 1953 through 1971. He was a National League All-Star for 11 seasons, playing in 14 All-Star games. Banks was born in Dallas. He entered Negro league baseball in 1950 and played for the Kansas City Monarchs. During his tenure in Kansas City, he also served in the military. He began his major league career in 1953, signing with the Cubs. Banks made his first All-Star Game appearance in 1955. He had his best seasons in 1958 and 1959, when he received back-to-back National League Most Valuable Player awards. He led the major league in home runs (HR) in 1958 and 1960, and in runs batted in (RBI), in 1958 and 1959. In 1961, after an old knee injury flared up, he finished the season playing at first base. Cubs manager Leo Durocher became frustrated with Banks in the mid-1960s, saying that the slugger's performance was faltering, but he felt that he was unable to remove Banks from the lineup due to the star's popularity among Cubs fans. Banks was a player-coach from 1967 through 1971. In 1972, he joined the Cubs coaching staff after his retirement as a player. Banks was active in the Chicago community during and after his tenure with the Cubs. He founded a charitable organization, became the first black Ford Motor Company dealer in the United States, and made an unsuccessful bid for a local political office. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977. In 1999, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2013, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to sports. Banks lives in the Los Angeles area.