From Everett to the Rose Bowl: The turbulent career of coach Mike Price
In short: Mike Price spent decades defining college football programs, from building Washington State into a Rose Bowl contender to orchestrating a dramatic turnaround at UTEP. Yet, his legacy is inextricably linked to a high-profile scandal at Alabama that ended his tenure before he ever coached a single game for the Crimson Tide.
Born in Colorado and raised in Washington, Mike Price followed in the footsteps of his father, a longtime coach. His early football life was defined by intense local rivalries, including a high school stint where he was displaced as starting quarterback by Dennis Erickson, a future coaching peer. Price’s own path to head coaching began at Weber State in 1981, where he spent eight seasons. His success there eventually led him to Washington State in 1989, a position secured partly through a recommendation from Erickson, who had briefly held the role himself.
Price’s fourteen-year tenure at Washington State remains his most significant professional achievement. He transformed the program, guiding the team to three ten-win seasons and two Rose Bowl appearances. Under his leadership, the Cougars reached the 1998 Rose Bowl—which Price considers his greatest feat—and again in 2003. He mentored elite talent, including quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf. By his final season in 2002, his compensation package had grown from an initial $75,000 annual salary to over $900,000, reflecting his status as a premier coach in the Pac-10.
Despite this success, Price’s career took a sharp turn in late 2002 when he accepted the head coaching job at Alabama. His time in Tuscaloosa was short-lived; following reports of late-night bar visits and a controversial incident at a Florida hotel involving unauthorized charges, the university rescinded his contract in May 2003. Price later rebuilt his reputation at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he arrived in late 2003. He immediately revitalized the program, leading the Miners to an eight-win season and their first AP Poll ranking in 2004, eventually retiring in 2012 after becoming only the second coach in school history to lead the team to three bowl games.
Price’s career is a study in the volatility of collegiate sports leadership. From his early days as a graduate assistant in 1969 to his return as an interim coach in 2017, he navigated the complexities of recruiting, conference politics, and public scrutiny. While his on-field record at Washington State and UTEP demonstrates a clear ability to elevate struggling programs, his abrupt departure from Alabama serves as a stark reminder of the intense off-field pressures facing high-profile coaches.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Mike Price
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