Mike Price Mike Price ( born April 6 , 1946 ) is a retired college football coach , who was most recently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso ( UTEP ) . He was previously the head coach at Weber State College ( 1981 – 1988 ) , Washington State University ( 1989 – 2002 ) , and the University of Alabama , the last from which he was fired before coaching a game in 2003 . Early years . Born in Colorado , Price grew up in Everett , Washington , twenty five miles ( 40 km ) north of Seattle . He was the son of Walt Price , the longtime head football coach at Everett Junior College . At Everett High School , Price was a teammate of Dennis Erickson , the son of Pinky Erickson , the head coach at cross - town rival Cascade High . Everett High was coached by Bill Dunn , a next - door neighbor of the Ericksons . Dennis Erickson was a year behind Price , but took his job as starting quarterback mid - way through Price ' s senior year , and Price was moved to defense as a safety . The team finished 9 – 1 . Price went on to play at Everett Junior College , Washington State , and finally at Puget Sound , where he co - captained the football team and was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity . Price met his wife , the former Joyce Taylor , in kindergarten in the early 1950s . They were married at age 19 and they had three children : two sons ( who were his assistant coaches ) and a daughter . Assistant coaching career . Price started his coaching career in 1969 as a graduate assistant for two seasons at Washington State , then was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater , UPS , for three . He returned to WSU for four seasons in 1974 as the running backs coach , where he unsuccessfully recruited future baseball hall - of - famer Ryne Sandberg to play quarterback . His final job as an assistant coach was at Missouri , where he coached the quarterbacks and wide receivers for three years , from 1978 to 1980 . Head coaching career . Weber State . Following the 1980 season , Price landed his first head coaching position at Weber State of the Division I - AA Big Sky Conference , a job for which friend Dennis Erickson was also a finalist . Erickson would get the Idaho job the next year , and returned the favor ( following the 1986 season ) by beating out Price for the Washington State job . Upon leaving just two years later for Miami , Erickson recommended Price , who got the WSU job and then rented Erickson ' s Pullman home . Price was head coach at Weber State through 1988 , compiling a 46 – 44 record in eight seasons . His best season was 1987 , when the Wildcats went 9 – 2 ( 6 – 1 in conference ) , and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division I - AA playoffs to finish at 10 – 3 . Washington State . On the field , Price was noted for his successful head coaching work at Washington State , where he served for fourteen seasons , from 1989 – 2002 . At WSU , he compiled a record of 83 – 78 , with three 10 - win seasons and five bowl appearances . His last two seasons at " Wazzu " combined for a 20 – 5 record ( 13 – 3 in the Pac - 10 ) . Price ' s 2002 team compiled a 7 – 1 mark in the conference and advanced to the Rose Bowl , where they were defeated by the Oklahoma Sooners 34 - 14 . Five years earlier in 1997 , Price was named National Coach of the Year , as the Cougars returned to the Rose Bowl after more than sixty years . During his tenure at Washington State he mentored some of the greatest players in the school ' s history , including quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe , Ryan Leaf and Jason Gesser . Prior to his departure , Price had recently signed a five - year contract at a base salary of $ 600 , 000 per year . With incentives , his compensation exceeded $ 900 , 000 in his final season at WSU . His original contract in 1989 was a four - year deal at $ 75 , 000 per year with unspecified television and radio revenues . Alabama . Price may be best known nationally for an off - the - field incident during his brief stint at Alabama . In December 2002 , he was hired in principle to replace Dennis Franchione as the head coach of the Crimson Tide . Price was at Alabama during the 2003 spring practice , but in May his contract was rescinded shortly after news reports surfaced of Price being seen at a strip club during a trip to Pensacola , Florida , where Price was playing in a golf tournament . UTEP . On December 21 , 2003 , Texas - El Paso announced the hiring of Price as its new head coach . At the press conference , Price said , " I feel reborn . I think this is the right situation for me . My dad told me a long time ago if you go somewhere where you ' re wanted and needed , your chances for success are a lot better . I want to be here . It ' s a match made in heaven . " In his first season in 2004 , he led the Miners to an 8 – 4 record and a berth in the Houston Bowl , where they lost to Colorado . The season was an astounding turnaround for the Miners , who had won only two games in each of their previous three seasons . At one time during the 2004 season , UTEP earned its first - ever ranking in the AP Poll , rising as high as 23rd . Price was a finalist for Eddie Robinson Award and the Paul " Bear " Bryant Award for coach of the year . In 2010 , Price became the second Miner coach to take UTEP to three bowl games , after Mike Brumbelow , who led the Miners to the Sun Bowl in 1954 , 1955 and 1957 . Price ' s starting salary at UTEP in 2004 was $ 225 , 000 plus incentives . November 19 , 2012 , Price announced that he would be retiring , effective at the end of the season .