Price brushes off sanctions, embraces Tide tradition

Thursday December 19, 2002

By JOHN ZENOR
AP Sports Writer

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) Mike Price brushed off the daunting expectations of the Alabama program and even the NCAA sanctions that will make those standards harder to meet.

The Crimson Tide pulled out all the stops to court Price to lead its football program down to the famous former quarterback who escorted him into his introductory news conference.

``This was the opportunity of a lifetime,'' the energetic Price said. ``This is a dream. I'm pinching myself. I feel like I'm in football heaven. To walk down the aisle into a press conference with Joe Namath is an unbelievable experience.''

Price, 56, agreed to a seven-year contract after 14 years running the Washington State program. He also came in knowing the difficulties that scholarship limitations will create.

``This did not bother Mike,'' athletic director Mal Moore said.

Price didn't express a desire to be the next Bear Bryant just the next-best thing.

``I want to be the second-best coach in the history of Alabama football,'' he said. ``If I could do that, I think that would be wonderful.

``It probably isn't going to be done the way Papa did it, the way Coach Bryant did it. It's going to be the way I do it. To walk on the same sidelines that he walked is a huge honor.''

Price accepted the job Tuesday, replacing Dennis Franchione, who left two weeks ago to coach Texas A&M. Moore would not disclose the terms of the deal, but Franchione was offered about $1.5 million annually to stay.

Price was making about $900,000 at Washington State. He visited Tuscaloosa last Friday, seeing the sights with the late Coach Bryant's son, Paul Jr., a university trustee. He saw enough to convince him to move a couple thousand miles and leave a thriving, Rose Bowl-bound Washington State program after 14 years for ``football heaven.''

``There isn't a college coach in the country who wouldn't want this job,'' said Price, who will coach the No. 7 Cougars against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl. ``It's the premier job in the world, and I respect that. And I'm taking it seriously.

``Alabama football means more to me than you'll ever know.''

Price also vowed this will be his final coaching stop, welcome words for Alabama fans stinging from Franchione's abrupt departure after going 10-3 in his second season.

``This is it for me,'' Price said. ``This is the end. I'm not going anyplace.''

Price's hire capped a two-week search in which New Orleans Saints assistant Mike Riley turned down the offer. Moore also courted Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and South Florida's Jim Leavitt.

Offensive tackle Wesley Britt drove to Tuscaloosa to attend the news conference, one of only a couple of players able to make it because of the holidays.

He met with Price Wednesday and liked what he saw and not just because there was finally someone sitting in Bryant's old corner office.

``It was a huge burden off our back, knowing we have a coach here,'' Britt said. ``Not only do we have a coach here, we probably have the best coach for this situation.''

Moore and Price had their first contact about the job two or three days after Franchione left. They met in the late 1970s when Moore was a Bryant assistant and candidate for the Washington State coaching job. Price, then a Cougars assistant, escorted Moore who hadn't slept in two days because of recruiting around campus.

``I figured if he'd gotten more sleep, he would have gotten the job and I wouldn't be standing here today,'' Price said.

Alabama was banned from a bowl this season and next as part of NCAA penalties that also include heavy scholarship reductions.

The violations occurred before Franchione arrived, but he said the sanctions were a major factor in his departure for A&M. Price didn't seem too concerned.

``I checked it out thoroughly and talked to Mal about it,'' said Price, promising he would run a clean program. ``I feel confident that we're going to be able to work things out.

``I'm not concerned about what's going to happen in the future. And I think we have enough depth and enough good players here right now. They won 10 games last year.''

Moore conferred with NCAA officials before hiring Price and found he had a clean record.

``We've got a couple of tough years ahead of us,'' Moore said. ``We needed to have someone that recognizes and understands that and will work through it as hard as they can. I think this guy will.

``I think he will bring a lot to this program and to our fans and to the people of this state. They'll love him.''

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)