[RollTideFan] Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9372537.htm?1c Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him JOHN McFARLAND Associated Press EL PASO, Texas - The view from Texas-El Paso coach Mike Price's office high above the Sun Bowl depends on perspective. The casual observer sees the site of some of the most pathetic football of the past three decades, an often deserted desert stadium overshadowed by scraggly hills. But Price sees untapped potential in a 51,500-seat stadium and scenic athletic complex wedged into the foothills of the Franklin Mountains. He sees an eager fan base in the historic city of 700,000 just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. And at 58, he sees perhaps a last shot at redemption after losing a $10 million job at Alabama following a night involving alcohol, strippers and few other confirmed details. I feel real lucky, said Price, a former national coach of the year who was hired in December. This has been a really humbling experience. When Price leads the Miners onto the field for the first time Sept. 2 at Arizona State, he'll officially join the small fraternity of coaches trying to make good after off-the-field embarrassments. George O'Leary begins anew at Central Florida, his first head coaching job since Notre Dame fired him in 2001 because of a trumped up resume. Gary Barnett is back in Colorado following a suspension for comments about women who accused players of rape. Price may have the toughest job of them all. He was 83-78 with five bowl appearances in 14 seasons at Washington State. At UTEP, he leads a program with just one winning season in the last 15. The Miners have just six wins in the past three years and lost eight times last season by 28 or more points. But Price gives UTEP fans hope. I've changed my mind on him, said Tony Stafford, an English professor and one of the few people on campus who raised concerns about hiring Price. Since he's gotten here, I've come to see the kind of person he is. He's a guy who made a terrible mistake, but I think he's sorry for it. Ticket sales are up, and optimism is back for the first time in years at a school that still clings to the memory of the 1966 NCAA basketball championship when it was still called Texas Western. There's a buzz that I haven't seen since I've been here, said UTEP president Diana Natalicio. Price brought similar excitement to Alabama last year. But he was fired after just four months, before coaching a game or signing his contract. Alabama's president cited drunken behavior after Price's highly publicized outing at a Florida strip joint in April 2003. Sports Illustrated reported that Price got drunk that night and had aggressive sex with strippers. Price's $20 million libel and slander lawsuit is pending against the publisher of the magazine, which stands behind its story. He admits drinking too much, returning to his hotel room with a woman, then passing out and waking up with all his clothes on. Nothing that was in the article happened, Price said. It was just a bunch of innuendos. That night there were poor decisions on my part, but nothing like what was reported. There was no sexual activity with women. Price's football future was in doubt a year ago. He was not a head coach last season for the first time in 23 years, and his prospects didn't look good. He was quickly and publicly rejected after seeking the Arizona job. But UTEP, about as far from the spotlight as a Division I-A team can be, was interested. Natalicio and athletic director Bob Stull liked Price but were cautious. They reviewed incident reports, called other schools and performed other due diligence Stull wouldn't specify. It's one of those life-changing experiences where you either learn from it or you'll make the same mistake again, and I felt confident he'd learn from it, Natalicio said. We got a coach of Mike Price's caliber, and he to get a chance to redeem himself. ... And so everybody won. Some Miners players said they didn't understand the fuss over Price's indiscretion. All that talk about him and his past didn't faze me one bit, and it shouldn't. It has nothing to do with football, receiver Chris Marrow said. Price says he feels reborn at UTEP, but realizes how far he fell. I went to the Rose Bowl (with WSU), stayed in a Beverly Hills suite as nice as you can get, took limos everywhere, he said. At Alabama, I had drivers and Lear jets. ... Then, coming here to El Paso, I drove a pickup truck with two dogs. So it's been a humbling experience to say the least. Even sharing the WAC title in 2000 didn't do much to lift UTEP's terrible tradition. It was just the school's third winning season since 1970. During that span, the Miners have won two or fewer games 21 times. The first step to fixing the losing mentality, Price said, is discipline. I can't make them taller. I can't make them a lot faster. But I can make them more disciplined, said Price, who
RE: [RollTideFan] Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him
Party on Mikey!!! = Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of M Laborde Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 10:28 AM To: RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Subject: [RollTideFan] Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9372537.htm?1c Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him JOHN McFARLAND Associated Press snipped __ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup! To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
Re: [RollTideFan] Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him
I'm betting he's embraced the hell out of those strip clubs down in JuarezJamie HELP KEEP AMERICA CLEAN FLUSH THE JOHNS - Original Message - From: M Laborde [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: RollTideFan-The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 12:27 PM Subject: [RollTideFan] Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/9372537.htm?1c Price embraces UTEP, puts Alabama scandal behind him JOHN McFARLAND Associated Press EL PASO, Texas - The view from Texas-El Paso coach Mike Price's office high above the Sun Bowl depends on perspective. The casual observer sees the site of some of the most pathetic football of the past three decades, an often deserted desert stadium overshadowed by scraggly hills. But Price sees untapped potential in a 51,500-seat stadium and scenic athletic complex wedged into the foothills of the Franklin Mountains. He sees an eager fan base in the historic city of 700,000 just across the Rio Grande from Mexico. And at 58, he sees perhaps a last shot at redemption after losing a $10 million job at Alabama following a night involving alcohol, strippers and few other confirmed details. I feel real lucky, said Price, a former national coach of the year who was hired in December. This has been a really humbling experience. When Price leads the Miners onto the field for the first time Sept. 2 at Arizona State, he'll officially join the small fraternity of coaches trying to make good after off-the-field embarrassments. George O'Leary begins anew at Central Florida, his first head coaching job since Notre Dame fired him in 2001 because of a trumped up resume. Gary Barnett is back in Colorado following a suspension for comments about women who accused players of rape. Price may have the toughest job of them all. He was 83-78 with five bowl appearances in 14 seasons at Washington State. At UTEP, he leads a program with just one winning season in the last 15. The Miners have just six wins in the past three years and lost eight times last season by 28 or more points. But Price gives UTEP fans hope. I've changed my mind on him, said Tony Stafford, an English professor and one of the few people on campus who raised concerns about hiring Price. Since he's gotten here, I've come to see the kind of person he is. He's a guy who made a terrible mistake, but I think he's sorry for it. Ticket sales are up, and optimism is back for the first time in years at a school that still clings to the memory of the 1966 NCAA basketball championship when it was still called Texas Western. There's a buzz that I haven't seen since I've been here, said UTEP president Diana Natalicio. Price brought similar excitement to Alabama last year. But he was fired after just four months, before coaching a game or signing his contract. Alabama's president cited drunken behavior after Price's highly publicized outing at a Florida strip joint in April 2003. Sports Illustrated reported that Price got drunk that night and had aggressive sex with strippers. Price's $20 million libel and slander lawsuit is pending against the publisher of the magazine, which stands behind its story. He admits drinking too much, returning to his hotel room with a woman, then passing out and waking up with all his clothes on. Nothing that was in the article happened, Price said. It was just a bunch of innuendos. That night there were poor decisions on my part, but nothing like what was reported. There was no sexual activity with women. Price's football future was in doubt a year ago. He was not a head coach last season for the first time in 23 years, and his prospects didn't look good. He was quickly and publicly rejected after seeking the Arizona job. But UTEP, about as far from the spotlight as a Division I-A team can be, was interested. Natalicio and athletic director Bob Stull liked Price but were cautious. They reviewed incident reports, called other schools and performed other due diligence Stull wouldn't specify. It's one of those life-changing experiences where you either learn from it or you'll make the same mistake again, and I felt confident he'd learn from it, Natalicio said. We got a coach of Mike Price's caliber, and he to get a chance to redeem himself. ... And so everybody won. Some Miners players said they didn't understand the fuss over Price's indiscretion. All that talk about him and his past didn't faze me one bit, and it shouldn't. It has nothing to do with football, receiver Chris Marrow said. Price says he feels reborn at UTEP, but realizes how far he fell. I went to the Rose Bowl (with WSU), stayed in a Beverly Hills suite as nice as you can get, took limos everywhere, he said. At Alabama, I had drivers and Lear jets. ... Then, coming here to El Paso, I drove a pickup truck with two dogs. So it's been a humbling experience to say the least. Even
