I found this post about Mike Price from Coug85 on a UTEP message board Any thoughts?
I saw the Finebaum article this morning on the Mobile newspaper website. Paul Finebaum has a daily radio show that is one of the most listened to in the country. I pick it up on the Internet. Finebaum has been one of the most merciless attackers of Coach Price ever since the incident in Alabama. And like most people following Alabama football he never realized what a class guy Mike Price is. I was stunned by Finbaum’s article and have to grant him respect for his change of view.
I have always believed a person moving from a place like the West Coast to Tuscaloosa, Alabama needed to take a crash course in southern culture. If this were done, I doubt anyone from the West Coast would accept the head football coaching position at Alabama. No matter how much they pay, no matter how good their facilities and no matter how good their recruits are, it is a terminal job. I saw Coach Price at Alabama the week of the Spring Football game and was stunned at how bad he looked. Always one of the most upbeat and optimistic guys I have ever known, he appeared to be exhausted and running on battery power. Had he stayed at Alabama he may have died attempting to meet everyone’s expectations. And at Alabama, you are as good as your last game.
I have also had the privilege of seeing Coach Price at UTEP and listening to his weekly radio shows on Tuesday during the football season. I should also add, I saw a lot of him at WSU. I don’t believe I have ever seen him happier than when I saw him in El Paso last September.
I, like a lot of his friends, would have loved to see what he could do blending his knowledge of football i.e. the type of game he plays, his interpersonal philosophy working with young people and the resources of a well funded athletic program. It would have been a good shot at being #1 in the nation. I believe UTEP has the potential to get to the top but it will take years of commitment by everyone to make that dream come true. Coach Price is the starting point but he will be long retired before that happens. And as that process continues, UTEP will experience dramatic ups and downs. I define dramatic as the loss of our last two games this season. Eventually, those sorts of things won’t happen.
One of the most important ingredients to keeping the program moving forward is retaining Coach Price. I have always wondered whether he would take one more shot at #1 in the nation. Only he knows, but his choosing to stay another year and signing a contract extension lead me to believe he plans on staying right in El Paso. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier for him and his family. As long as I can get to UTEP games off the dish and afford to come to El Paso at least once a year I’ll be one happy boy.
Finally I want to make some comparisons between Alabama and UTEP. Alabama always has a shot at the national title. UTEP doesn’t. Alabama has a great stadium, so does UTEP. Alabama has all the money in the world, UTEP doesn’t. Alabama has a shot at every five star recruit in the country, UTEP doesn’t. Alabama was a fan base that loves you while you’re winning, UTEP has a fan base that honors trying to win every game and being loyal. I have tailgated with the “royalty†of Alabama and with Maynard Haddid. I would love the opportunity to tailgate again with Maynard, not so with the royalty. From my viewpoint, UTEP and Mike Price are the perfect marriage and Y’all are the best fans in the world. To back this up I suggest you listen to the Tuesday night call in show following the loss to SMU. I did with some trepidation. I was shocked at all the people that called in to say how much they loved the team and coaches. At Alabama the coaches would have had to nail up pig wire over their windows at home to keep fans from throwing bricks through the glass.
Thank you from all of us in the Pacific Northwest who have taken in people we care for very much and made them part of your family.
Coug
I saw the Finebaum article this morning on the Mobile newspaper website. Paul Finebaum has a daily radio show that is one of the most listened to in the country. I pick it up on the Internet. Finebaum has been one of the most merciless attackers of Coach Price ever since the incident in Alabama. And like most people following Alabama football he never realized what a class guy Mike Price is. I was stunned by Finbaum’s article and have to grant him respect for his change of view.
I have always believed a person moving from a place like the West Coast to Tuscaloosa, Alabama needed to take a crash course in southern culture. If this were done, I doubt anyone from the West Coast would accept the head football coaching position at Alabama. No matter how much they pay, no matter how good their facilities and no matter how good their recruits are, it is a terminal job. I saw Coach Price at Alabama the week of the Spring Football game and was stunned at how bad he looked. Always one of the most upbeat and optimistic guys I have ever known, he appeared to be exhausted and running on battery power. Had he stayed at Alabama he may have died attempting to meet everyone’s expectations. And at Alabama, you are as good as your last game.
I have also had the privilege of seeing Coach Price at UTEP and listening to his weekly radio shows on Tuesday during the football season. I should also add, I saw a lot of him at WSU. I don’t believe I have ever seen him happier than when I saw him in El Paso last September.
I, like a lot of his friends, would have loved to see what he could do blending his knowledge of football i.e. the type of game he plays, his interpersonal philosophy working with young people and the resources of a well funded athletic program. It would have been a good shot at being #1 in the nation. I believe UTEP has the potential to get to the top but it will take years of commitment by everyone to make that dream come true. Coach Price is the starting point but he will be long retired before that happens. And as that process continues, UTEP will experience dramatic ups and downs. I define dramatic as the loss of our last two games this season. Eventually, those sorts of things won’t happen.
One of the most important ingredients to keeping the program moving forward is retaining Coach Price. I have always wondered whether he would take one more shot at #1 in the nation. Only he knows, but his choosing to stay another year and signing a contract extension lead me to believe he plans on staying right in El Paso. Frankly, I couldn’t be happier for him and his family. As long as I can get to UTEP games off the dish and afford to come to El Paso at least once a year I’ll be one happy boy.
Finally I want to make some comparisons between Alabama and UTEP. Alabama always has a shot at the national title. UTEP doesn’t. Alabama has a great stadium, so does UTEP. Alabama has all the money in the world, UTEP doesn’t. Alabama has a shot at every five star recruit in the country, UTEP doesn’t. Alabama was a fan base that loves you while you’re winning, UTEP has a fan base that honors trying to win every game and being loyal. I have tailgated with the “royalty†of Alabama and with Maynard Haddid. I would love the opportunity to tailgate again with Maynard, not so with the royalty. From my viewpoint, UTEP and Mike Price are the perfect marriage and Y’all are the best fans in the world. To back this up I suggest you listen to the Tuesday night call in show following the loss to SMU. I did with some trepidation. I was shocked at all the people that called in to say how much they loved the team and coaches. At Alabama the coaches would have had to nail up pig wire over their windows at home to keep fans from throwing bricks through the glass.
Thank you from all of us in the Pacific Northwest who have taken in people we care for very much and made them part of your family.
Coug
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There are probably ten times as many girls in western bars who've named themselves "Destiny" as in the SE. It probably seemed perfectly normal...
