Former WSU Coach Mike Price Decides to Retire - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

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Former WSU Coach Mike Price Decides to Retire

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Former Washington State coach Mike Price, now at UTEP, has decided to retire after coaching for 31 years (Photo: UTEP Athletics) Former Washington State coach Mike Price, now at UTEP, has decided to retire after coaching for 31 years (Photo: UTEP Athletics)

EL PASO, Texas - UTEP coach Mike Price is retiring after a 31-year career notable for two Rose Bowl bids at Washington State and a drinking binge that cost him the Alabama job before he ever coached a game for the Crimson Tide.

Price announced the decision Monday with one game left in his ninth season with the Miners (3-8). He led UTEP to 8-4 records and bowl games his first two years in El Paso but hasn't had a winning record since.

After leading Washington State to the Rose Bowl in 2002, Price was hired by Alabama. That spring, he was fired after admitting to drinking heavily and going to a topless bar after attending a golf tournament in Florida.

Price, who started at Weber State in 1981, has a 177-182 career record.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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