05-19-2005, 04:27 AM
Price: Nothing finer than being a Miner
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
STEVE IRVINE
News staff writer
DESTIN, Fla. - The reason Mike Price went to the University of Texas-El Paso is the same reason he may stay there until the end of his coaching days.
"The people have been just so wonderful to us and so enthusiastic," Price said. "Appreciative, I guess, is the right word for it."
To understand how happy Price is in El Paso is to know about the job opportunities he received in the days, weeks and months following the end of the 2004 season and the Miners' surprising 8-4 record.
"There were" job inquiries Price said. "I just kind of came right out and said É appreciate the interest but that's not the right thing to do right now.' Never say never but I'm certainly not looking."
Price is taking part in the Conference USA spring meetings for the first time in this Florida Panhandle resort town. It isn't far from where his days as the Alabama football coach began to crumble before he ever coached a regular season game in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama fired Price for actions that included a trip to a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla. Price had too much too drink during his April 16, 2003 visit to Arety's Angels strip club while on an alumni golf trip and woke up in his hotel room with a woman he says he didn't know, who then charged $1,000 room service to Price's account. On May 3, Alabama fired Price.
He laughed at the assertion El Paso seemed an unlikely destination for the rebirth of his coaching career.
"First off that says there was death," Price said, laughing.
For the most part, Price seldom strayed to what happened in his past during his comments Tuesday. Instead, UTEP Athletics Director Bob Stull said "It's good to talk about what is relevant."
What's relevant for Miner fans is what Price did in his first 13 games at a program which had enjoyed very little modern success. Price's turnaround included the school's first bowl trip since 2000 and one of the school's most memorable seasons ever.
Stull said he knew he was getting a good football coach when he made the hire in December 2003. But not even Stull expected this type of early success.
"Usually in coaching, when you have a transition, there's a transition period," Stull said. "You usually take a couple steps back when you hire somebody because of just the transition and the learning process. We would have been happy with five or six wins that first year, that would have shown improvement. To win eight was a total surprise."
The surprise for Price had nothing to do with what happened on the football field. His surprise came with how quickly he's grown to love a place he never imagined living.
"I really, really like it," Price said. "I love the weather. I love the people. It's the biggest city I've ever lived in. I lived in Cow College (before Tuscaloosa) and even Tuscaloosa isn't all that big. We have major concerts and big restaurants. My wife and I are really enjoying the city life."
Price's UTEP team will play UAB in the Miners' first season in C-USA but the game won't take place at Legion Field. Instead, the Miners will be the home team on Nov. 19, which happens to be the same day of what could have been Price's third Iron Bowl.
Price said he is happy the first game against UAB will take place in El Paso.
"It probably puts a little more distance between me and what happened in Alabama," Price said.
Price added an Alabama connection when he hired former Crimson Tide receiver Antonio Carter as a graduate assistant. He also keeps in contact with some of his former players and keeps a close eye on the Tide.
"But it's not my team, it's Mike Shula's team," Price said.
Price spends his days literally swinging a miner's pick in the West Texas town nestled on the borders of Mexico and New Mexico. Before Miner games, Price swings a miner's pick to help drum up support and pump up the home fans.
"The way we did it probably wouldn't have gone over in Alabama," Price said. "I wondered if it would go over in Texas. I was a little bit concerned about the things I was doing because football is really, really important in Texas as it is in Alabama.
"Coming out with that pick, coming out of the other end zone, coming out through the crowd, through a mine shaft, they loved it and it went over great."
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
STEVE IRVINE
News staff writer
DESTIN, Fla. - The reason Mike Price went to the University of Texas-El Paso is the same reason he may stay there until the end of his coaching days.
"The people have been just so wonderful to us and so enthusiastic," Price said. "Appreciative, I guess, is the right word for it."
To understand how happy Price is in El Paso is to know about the job opportunities he received in the days, weeks and months following the end of the 2004 season and the Miners' surprising 8-4 record.
"There were" job inquiries Price said. "I just kind of came right out and said É appreciate the interest but that's not the right thing to do right now.' Never say never but I'm certainly not looking."
Price is taking part in the Conference USA spring meetings for the first time in this Florida Panhandle resort town. It isn't far from where his days as the Alabama football coach began to crumble before he ever coached a regular season game in Tuscaloosa.
Alabama fired Price for actions that included a trip to a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla. Price had too much too drink during his April 16, 2003 visit to Arety's Angels strip club while on an alumni golf trip and woke up in his hotel room with a woman he says he didn't know, who then charged $1,000 room service to Price's account. On May 3, Alabama fired Price.
He laughed at the assertion El Paso seemed an unlikely destination for the rebirth of his coaching career.
"First off that says there was death," Price said, laughing.
For the most part, Price seldom strayed to what happened in his past during his comments Tuesday. Instead, UTEP Athletics Director Bob Stull said "It's good to talk about what is relevant."
What's relevant for Miner fans is what Price did in his first 13 games at a program which had enjoyed very little modern success. Price's turnaround included the school's first bowl trip since 2000 and one of the school's most memorable seasons ever.
Stull said he knew he was getting a good football coach when he made the hire in December 2003. But not even Stull expected this type of early success.
"Usually in coaching, when you have a transition, there's a transition period," Stull said. "You usually take a couple steps back when you hire somebody because of just the transition and the learning process. We would have been happy with five or six wins that first year, that would have shown improvement. To win eight was a total surprise."
The surprise for Price had nothing to do with what happened on the football field. His surprise came with how quickly he's grown to love a place he never imagined living.
"I really, really like it," Price said. "I love the weather. I love the people. It's the biggest city I've ever lived in. I lived in Cow College (before Tuscaloosa) and even Tuscaloosa isn't all that big. We have major concerts and big restaurants. My wife and I are really enjoying the city life."
Price's UTEP team will play UAB in the Miners' first season in C-USA but the game won't take place at Legion Field. Instead, the Miners will be the home team on Nov. 19, which happens to be the same day of what could have been Price's third Iron Bowl.
Price said he is happy the first game against UAB will take place in El Paso.
"It probably puts a little more distance between me and what happened in Alabama," Price said.
Price added an Alabama connection when he hired former Crimson Tide receiver Antonio Carter as a graduate assistant. He also keeps in contact with some of his former players and keeps a close eye on the Tide.
"But it's not my team, it's Mike Shula's team," Price said.
Price spends his days literally swinging a miner's pick in the West Texas town nestled on the borders of Mexico and New Mexico. Before Miner games, Price swings a miner's pick to help drum up support and pump up the home fans.
"The way we did it probably wouldn't have gone over in Alabama," Price said. "I wondered if it would go over in Texas. I was a little bit concerned about the things I was doing because football is really, really important in Texas as it is in Alabama.
"Coming out with that pick, coming out of the other end zone, coming out through the crowd, through a mine shaft, they loved it and it went over great."