WSU Football | Price decides to stay at UTEP

Mike Price says he no longer is interested in a possible return as Washington State's football coach because he is happy at Texas-El Paso.

"I really like it here," Price said Saturday in a telephone interview. "And they are good to me. They took me when no one wanted me.

"We've got a real good team coming back. Our life is good right now. ... The best thing for us right now is being here. I wouldn't feel good about leaving."

Price, 61, left WSU at the end of the 2002 season. He accepted the coaching job at Alabama in December, then remained to coach the Cougars in the Rose Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

Price never coached a game at Alabama because he was fired after an incident that started with a visit to a Pensacola, Fla., strip club. Price, who admitted he was intoxicated, sued Sports Illustrated for libel. The magazine settled out of court.

Price was out of coaching in 2003 and hired at UTEP in 2004. He has a 25-23 record there in four seasons.

Jim Sterk, WSU athletic director, said before the Apple Cup that if the Cougars made a coaching change, Price would be a potential candidate but not the front-runner.

Price said he had talked to Sterk once since Bill Doba was relieved of head-coaching duties Nov. 26.

Price had an 83-78 record in 14 years at WSU. He is revered by some fans for getting two Cougars teams to the Rose Bowl in six years. Others remain upset at his less-than-smooth departure.

"Washington State is dear to my heart, no doubt about that," said Price, who said many WSU fans called to urge him to try to return as coach.

Price's two sons, Eric and Aaron, are on UTEP's staff. He said he likes the thought of one of them someday succeeding him as head coach.

Price, an Everett native, still has ties to the Northwest. He and his wife have a vacation home on Lake Coeur d'Alene.

At least three candidates — Paul Wulf, John L. Smith and Kevin Sumlin — reportedly have been interviewed by WSU. Wulff is Eastern Washington's coach and a former WSU player. John L. Smith is a former coach at Michigan State, Louisville, Utah State and Idaho and was WSU defensive coordinator in 1987 and 1988. Kevin Sumlin, a former WSU graduate assistant, is now co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com