After a strong showing, he was recruited as a transfer student by both the University of Idaho and Washington State College.
[1] He was a key player on the 1915 Washington State football team that compiled an undefeated 7–0 record and defeated Brown in the 1916 Rose Bowl.
[9] With the United States entering World War I, Bangs joined the US Marine Corps.
He played for the 1918 Mare Island Marines football team that compiled a 10-0 record before losing in the 1919 Rose Bowl against Great Lakes Navy.
[10][11] in its coverage of the Rose Bowl game, the Los Angeles Times called Bangs "the greatest line plunger the colleges of the Pacific Coast have ever produced.