Mike Price retires

Crimson1967

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Nov 22, 2011
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UTEP coach Mike Price is retiring after a 31-year career notable for two Rose Bowl bids at Washington State and a drinking binge that cost him the Alabama job before he ever coached a game for the Crimson Tide.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/uteps-price-retiring-31-years-190743704--ncaaf.html

I have my doubts as to whether retiring was 100% his idea, but I do rememebr reading his contract was up at the end of this season. Anyway, felt it was worth noting. Bill Curry "retired" at Georgia State as well this year.

In the alternate universe where he doesn't pass out at Sammy's. I wonder how he would have fared? Would we have Saban as coach today?
 

bamachile

Hall of Fame
Jul 27, 2007
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The middle Mike of the terrible trio may well have been the best coach. Still, although I wish him nothing but a happy retirement, I have no regrets that he didn't stay longer.
 

PaulD

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Dec 29, 2006
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I heard him say on Sirius XM about a month ago that, no matter what else a coach does, in the end it comes down to wins and losses and he could count them as well as anyone. He had a good relationship with his AD, but "you've got to win games." I doubt that this was truly voluntary.

If he had stayed at Alabama, I don't know that he'd have done better using his offense than Shula did do not using it. Perhaps he'd have gotten fired after a lacklaster 2006 season and Mal Moore would still have taken that plane to Miami.
 

RTR91

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Nov 23, 2007
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As Prof, Jess and RGW have noted, Price comes from the same offensive scheme tree as Nuss, Mac, and others. The offense would have been similar as what we see now. The defense would be the question mark. However, didn't Price hire Kines?
 

PaulD

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As Prof, Jess and RGW have noted, Price comes from the same offensive scheme tree as Nuss, Mac, and others. The offense would have been similar as what we see now. The defense would be the question mark. However, didn't Price hire Kines?
Except, as best I recall, his offense was very pass-oriented, far more than we have ever been. He did hire Joe Kines. Shula retained most (all?) of the defensive staff, but not as much of the offensive staff.
 
Except, as best I recall, his offense was very pass-oriented, far more than we have ever been. He did hire Joe Kines. Shula retained most (all?) of the defensive staff, but not as much of the offensive staff.
If you looked at the numbers from his last year at Washington State, the play calling was pretty balanced. 427 runs to 458 passes. http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-state/2002.html

Shula didn't retain much of the offensive staff because those were the ones who came with Price, especially his two sons.
 
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Florida Tom

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Aug 15, 2011
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Ok let me take my company credit card go pay a stripper & buy drinks with my sons.

Wonder if they might fire me?

I don't feel sorry for him at all.

Coaching at Alabama is an Honor & should be treated that way.

Coach Saban won't even drink wine at dinner, he understands the awesome responbility.
 

selmaborntidefan

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Mar 31, 2000
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The "logic" behind the Price hire was that he had done more with less as Wazzu is in the middle of nowhere. I suspect he was in over his head from day one, and his off the field actions made that clear. I think he would have basically been Shula- esque in terms of record and DuBosian in terms of libido. I have been told by the folks I bought my house from - and who had a son who was an attorney in the compliance dept when Price was hired - that they literally sat him down and explained what was unacceptable including evasive answers.

He didn't get it - obviously, as I've also been told that public instance was not the first time he'd done something similar.

Given that track record, we are fortunate we didn't get another hammer. I look at Mike Price as a contemptible fool who got what he asked for. I don't know anything about Price since he left other than what I read here. He is a big zero to me.
 

GreatMarch

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Maybe Bucket Step Bob's techniques would have worked better in Price's offense than they did in Shula's? Off all the offensive coaches let go, the one (and a really bad one) that Shula keeps was Connelly.
 

lafella

Hall of Fame
Nov 27, 2006
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He got a Rock Star complex in a Bible Belt World. Doubtful we would have Saban right now I would think if he had even stayed a year. Glad it didn't work out :biggrin:
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/uteps-price-retiring-31-years-190743704--ncaaf.html

I have my doubts as to whether retiring was 100% his idea, but I do rememebr reading his contract was up at the end of this season. Anyway, felt it was worth noting. Bill Curry "retired" at Georgia State as well this year.
In the alternate universe where he doesn't pass out at Sammy's. I wonder how he would have fared? Would we have Saban as coach today?
We will never know how Coach Price would have fared at Alabama.
I guess you could say 'It was his Destiny'... ;) (I had to say that)

My only question would be, will Mike gets his retirement pay in $1.00 bills?
(Sorry for the parting shot)
 
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We_are_Bama

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Dec 11, 2008
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I don't think we would have gotten Saban had Price behaved himself that night down in Pensacola. I think that Price would have slipped in just enough wins over the barn, tennessee, and lsu (combined) to hang around a little longer than Shula, thus throwing the timeline off. I never had a good feeling about that loony tune. There are three Alabama head coaching hires that gave me a bad feeling. Bill Curry, Mike Dubose, and Mike Price. I didn't feel great about Shula either, but I knew at that point that we really had no other choice, plus I knew that he was a short term solution just to get us through probation anyway. But, the Price hire was just strange from day one. Bottom line, while it was not the least bit fun when it was happening, looking back, I'm glad he went on a drinking binge in an adult entertainment establishment and managed to botch it all up for himself.
 

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