Illinois Wesleyan

Tony Bankston, a 1991 Illinois Wesleyan graduate and former Titan soccer letterman and head coach, became the school's assistant athletic director and director of the Shirk Athletic Complex on August 1, 2015. He was promoted to Senior Associate AD for Internal & External Operations in the summer of 2025.

Besides managing the athletic facilities, Bankston's responsibilities include fundraising and student-athlete alumni relations, recruiting operations, and licensing. Bankston is the sport administrator for men's and women's soccer, women's basketball, and baseball.

In six seasons (1994-99) as Illinois Wesleyan's women's soccer coach, Bankston had a 61-44-3 overall record and a 14-17-1 mark in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. As the men's coach his teams were 47-53-4 overall and 10-24-1 in the CCIW.

He began working as an admissions counselor in July 1992, became acting Dean of Admissions in October 2005 and assumed the role in May 2006.

Bankston, who graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a double major in English and history, competed in varsity soccer as a student and was active in WESN-FM radio, campus literary magazines and intramural sports. He also volunteered as IWU's football public address announcer for several years, and hosted the "Titan Coaches Corner" show on cable television.

A graduate of Belleville (Ill.) Althoff High School, Bankston is married to Kim (a 1996 IWU graduate) and is the father of four daughters.