SEATTLE – Sometimes a guy likes to get in his car and just drive around the state.
Of course, if you’re a Division I football coach, you’d better or you may not have a job long.
You’ve got to get out and evaluate players, which was what brought Washington State boss Mike Price to the Puget Sound region this week.
That and Mother’s Day, which he celebrated early with his mom, Laura Jane, with dinner at Lombardi’s on the Everett waterfront. And he didn’t even have to pay for it. Some Cougar alum whom Price had never seen sprang for the bill.
“If I’d known he was going to do that, I’d have had dessert,” he said, laughing. “When I’m in Pullman, nobody even buys me a cup of coffee. It’s just, ‘Oh, there’s the coach.’ “
The coach had been to 30 high schools in three days to look at films of prospective junior players. He’d also taken in the Western Conference South Division track meet at Mariner’s Goddard Stadium the night before.
Checking out those Kamiak kids, were you?
Maybe, he replied coyly.
The road seemed to agree with him. He looked rested and refreshed, dressed in gray slacks and gray shirt with a crimson tie and a black sportcoat. His humor was as cornball as ever, which is one of his endearing traits.
Asked why he didn’t borrow one of WSU’s private jets to get around in, he said the Cougar mode of travel was much more spartan – either a crop duster or your own car.
And so here he was at mid-morning in the WSU West offices, taking time out to meet with the media and talk about whatever presented itself.
If you went to the window and looked south from the 11th floor of this downtown office building, you might have been able to see the new Seahawks stadium, where the Cougars will play their season-opening game on Aug.31 against Nevada-Reno.
That doesn’t have Price as jacked as a win over the Huskies, but he is excited about it. “It’s the right game, the right week and it satisfies everybody who’s been bugging us about playing over here,” he said.
You would think it’d draw a good crowd, a combination of Cougar fans (there are 80,000 alums within easy driving distance) and maybe even a few Huskies to check out the Seahawks’ new digs on Labor Day weekend. But 67,000 – which is roughly what the place seats? Don’t know about that.
So far, about 9,500 tickets have been sold.
“I’d be disappointed with anything less than a sellout,” said Price, who always looks on the sunny side of things. “They’re going to be disappointed with anything less than a great victory.”
The Cougars got 10 of them last year, and are projected to be strong again this year.
They’ve got a quarterback they’re pushing for the Heisman Trophy and a catchy slogan – “Guess Who for Heisman?” Jason Gesser, that’s who.
One national publication says that Gesser has the best chance of anyone on the West Coast to win the Heisman since USC’s Marcus Allen captured it in 1981. Gesser has most of his line back and some talented receivers. “This could possibly be the best offensive line we’ve had in 14 years,” Price said.
The challenge will be keeping the quarterback healthy through a 13-game schedule that doesn’t end until Dec.7. It’s 13 games now, but it may be down to 12 if the Cougars have their way. They’re working on lopping off the Nov.30 game at Hawaii, if they can find a suitable foe for the Warriors.
Price wasn’t looking forward to an emotional game against Washington in the Apple Cup on Nov.23, then a flight to the Islands the next week, followed seven days later by a trip to Southern California to take on the UCLA Bruins in the Rose Bowl.
If it hadn’t been for TV, the Cougars could have been facing the prospect of playing UCLA then the Huskies on back-to-back weekends. But ABC convinced everyone that it would be smart to move the Nov. 16 Cougar-Bruin game to December. “That’s a lot of car washes,” Price cracked, envisioning all that TV loot.
This way, the Cougars also get a bye week before the Apple Cup game in Pullman, so they have two weeks to prepare. “I don’t mind going down to Pasadena in December,” Price said. “With our indoor facility, we’ll be able to practice better in December.”
Price at 56 doesn’t look much different than he did when he came to WSU 14 years ago. One thing that has changed is he’s now the dean of Pacific-10 Conference coaches. “We just got through with the Pac-10 (coaches) meetings,” he said, “and they all reminded me of that.”
The coaching is still fun, though his social calendar is filled up. That’s what happens when you go 10-2. “That part has taken a little bit out of the coaching,” he said. “The two hours I’m on the practice field are the best two hours of the day.”
He also opens his door for kids having personal problems. And five years ago, he started having his position coaches meet with their kids every week for one-on-ones. “It’s a 5-on-5,” Price said. The coach and the player each gets five minutes to talk about anything but football.
Price told a story about one kid who just didn’t like to talk.
He came in to see his specialty coach and a long silence ensued. Finally, the coach – Bill Doba, who runs the defense – piped up and asked, “So, you got a girlfriend? How’s your love life?”
To which the kid replied, “I really don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“You’re right,” Doba said. “It’s not.”
End of conversation.
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