Timeline of Mike Price’s coaching career
Mike Price has posted 177 wins in a 31-year head coaching career. He was 46-44 at Weber State (1981-88), 83-78 at Washington State (1989-2002) and is 48-60 at UTEP (2004-present).
Only Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer (256 victories), Texas’ Mack Brown (235), Nevada’s Chris Ault (233), South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier (206) and Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly (198) have more wins among active FBS coaches.
The 1997 National Coach of the Year, Price has directed eight teams to bowls. He joins Mike Brumbelow as the only coaches to lead the Miners to three bowl games. UTEP played in the EV1.net Houston Bowl in 2004, the GMAC Bowl in 2005 and the New Mexico Bowl in 2010.
The Miners have had more 30-point games (56), 40-point games (24) and 50-point games (six) under Price than any coach in school history.
The Price era has produced UTEP’s all-time leader for passing yards (Trevor Vittatoe), total offense (Vittatoe), receiving yards (Johnnie Lee Higgins, Jr.), all-purpose yards (Howard Jackson) and the single-season rushing champion (Donald Buckram).
Price has also coached three All-Americans and 47 All-Conference players during his nine-year stint with the Miners. Seven UTEP players have been selected in the NFL Draft during the Price regime, and numerous others have signed NFL free agent contracts.
In his first two seasons at UTEP (2004-05), Price led the Miners to national rankings and back-to-back eight-win campaigns. UTEP received the only BCS ranking in school history in 2004. Price was a finalist for numerous national coach of the year awards in 2004, including the Eddie Robinson Award and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. He was tabbed the Region 4 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), and was named the first-year coach of the year by Scripps and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). In 2005, UTEP set a school record for attendance average (47,899) in the 52,000-seat Sun Bowl.
Price’s 2009 squad upset 12th-ranked Houston in the Sun Bowl, 58-41, for its first victory over a ranked opponent in 12 years. The Miners were named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week following their win over the Cougars and Buckram, who rushed for 262 yards in the game, was appointed the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week.
In 31 seasons prior to Price’s arrival (1973-2003), the Miners averaged 2.6 wins per year with four years of five or more victories. UTEP has averaged 5.3 wins under Price with six years of five or more victories.
During his time at Washington State (1989-2002), Price led the Cougars to three 10-win seasons and five bowl appearances with two Rose Bowl berths (1998 & 2002). Price was the 1997 National Coach of the year and was one of three finalists for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award in 2001. During his 14 years at Washington State, Price coached five players who were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
He previously was an assistant coach at Washington State (1969-70 & 1974-77), Missouri (1978-80) and Puget Sound (1971-73). He played collegiately at Washington State (1965-66) and Puget Sound (1967-68), seeing time at quarterback and defensive back.
Source: UTEP Athletics Department
