[1] After leaving the Rangers, Banister served the Director of Player Development with the University of Northern Colorado Bears baseball program in 2021 before landing with the D-backs.

He developed bone cancer in his sophomore year, which almost necessitated the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

[3] At La Marque, Banister played for the school's baseball, basketball, and American football teams.

Doctors recommended amputation to save the rest of his leg, but Banister refused, as he hoped he would be able to continue his baseball career.

[5][6] In his senior year, Banister suffered a knee injury playing American football, which nearly led to him being cut from the baseball team because of his decreased mobility.

[5] While catching in a 1983 game, he suffered a collision at home plate, where the baserunner attempted to jump over him, and hit Banister in the head with his knee.

[9] Banister then played 71 games for the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League in 1988, batting .259.

The Pirates promoted Banister from the minor leagues on July 23, 1991, when catcher Don Slaught was injured and placed on the disabled list.

[5] Manager Jim Leyland used Banister as a pinch hitter for pitcher Doug Drabek in the eighth inning of that day's game against the Atlanta Braves at Three Rivers Stadium.

[15] Using Cecil Espy's bat, Banister hit a ball from Dan Petry and just beat shortstop Jeff Blauser's throw to first base.

Banister is one of only 15 batters (excluding pitchers) in baseball history to record a hit in his only major league plate appearance.

[18] From 1999 through 2002, Banister worked as Pittsburgh's Major League Field Coordinator on the coaching staffs of managers Gene Lamont and Lloyd McClendon.

[26] In 2004, he served as the interim manager of Lynchburg when Jay Loviglio resigned from the position for personal reasons.

[27] Banister became the interim pitching coach for Lynchburg in 2008 when Bob Milacki resigned from the position.

[18] On August 8, 2010, Banister was named the Pirates' interim bench coach after Gary Varsho was fired by the organization.

[31] As the Pirates bench coach, Banister learned about sabermetrics from a quantitative analyst who traveled with the team.

Banister learned to use quantitative data to inform his decisions on when the Pirates should employ defensive shifts in the field.

[34] After the 2014 season, Banister interviewed with the Houston Astros as a candidate to fill their managing vacancy, following the firing of Bo Porter.

[40] Banister guided the Rangers to the American League West division championship[41] with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses.

[42] The Rangers would end up losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series.

[49] On November 2, 2021, Banister was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks to be the team's bench coach for the 2022 season.

His father, Bob, coached Jeff at La Marque High School on both the football and basketball teams.

[54] In 2011, Banister won the "Pride of the Pirates" award for demonstrating his "sportsmanship, dedication and outstanding character".