Mike’s love affair with football came early. He was an all-conference quarterback and three-year varsity letter winner at Everett High School in Washington. Though high school football is the beginning and ending for many who enjoy the sport, not so for the man who believes “God called him” to coach. After receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, he coached at Weber State where he registered a 46-44 record from 1981 to 1988. In 1989, Coach Price moved on to Washington State University where he coached from 1989 to 2002, leading the team to five bowl games. In December 2003, the Miners came under the leadership of Price with an overall career record of 129-121 and a drive and love for football unmatched in the sport. Of course, Coach Price’s football stats are something with which many are familiar. When you drop the “Coach” from Mike Price’s title, fewer people can tell you much about him.
When you enter Mike’s beautiful home, his two excited dogs greet you. One is a Shar-Pei, the other a Shar-Pei and Pug mix. They are friendly… boy, are they friendly! You can tell they are loved and at times, if you don’t offer it, they will demand your attention by nudging you. It’s as though they are saying, “Don’t forget to write about us, too!” So, there you go, Kokanee and Jessie… your 15 minutes of fame.
The house Mike shares with his wife, Joyce, is lavish and yet homey. However, if you are expecting to walk around a house dedicated to the sport of football, you will be sadly mistaken. In fact, for the most part, the Price home is reflective of their eclecticism and style rather than a museum of memorabilia one might expect. Since the couple has moved to the Sun City, they have developed a love for Southwest design that you can see in several rooms.
Though the house is remarkable, the Prices find they spend quite a lot of time in their equally noteworthy backyard. The yard has a pool, which always makes for a good time. You can use the fire pit to toast some marshmallows or cook full meals on the grill and outdoor range. And no backyard party is complete without a kegerator, right? With his sons, Eric and Aaron, already in El Paso and his daughter Angie (along with her husband and children) relocating to El Paso in 2006, all of the Price children and grandchildren are only minutes away. This makes for incredible family barbeques on Sunday after church.
Of course, Mike is also known for the hospitality he shows his players and recruits. He opens his home to them with a “my house is your house” mentality and generosity; he and the players spend a lot of time together as a result. Though most of the house is not sports themed, there is an upstairs game room that invariably screams, “Football!” With a pool table, a jumbo television and memorabilia galore, the room practically oozes testosterone. What more could college football players want? You see a gleam in Mike’s eyes when he tells you the stories behind the items in his collection. He is proud and happy and so very much in his element that it makes you smile just to watch him regale the days gone by and talk of what he hopes will come.
In another room you get a glimpse of a part of Mike that is not a coach. He sits on a sofa talking about the importance of family and showing you a picture painted by his late brother, Walter Price. One picture his brother painted is of their father, Walter Price, Sr., coming in from fishing, captioned affectionately, “A winter steelhead for my father, Dubber.” Dubber was Walter’s nickname, but he only signed this one painting that way,
Mike will tell you, a different sort of pride and sentimentality showing in his expressive manner.
You find as you travel through the rooms of the Price home that you see hints into the depth, which is the full character of Mike Price. Something of a wine enthusiast, he’ll tell you he generally prefers merlot or cabernet with dinner, but has gradually begun drinking more white wine due to the weather. You will also find he doesn’t collect “stuff” arbitrarily. In truth, there seem to be very few things in the home that don’t have special meaning or a story behind them. It makes sense to only have the things that mean the most to you around when you know Mike’s schedule. He spends the bulk of his time absorbed in football. If he is not coaching, he is recruiting, holding camps, attending functions or entertaining the team. He is not just busy during the season, but rather the year through. Church and a little family time are scheduled in on Sundays, and Thursday evenings belong to his lovely wife, Joyce, as their “date night.”
Although he is grateful to be working in the sport so dear to his heart, Mike is so much more than his profession. One could say it is his knowledge of the game that makes him so successful, and perhaps they would be right. Yet, perhaps it is that he brings to the field he who is: a son, a father, a brother, a husband, a friend. Many other components make him the whole of who he is.
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