Ex-Norfolk State football coach Dick Price dies at 75

Dick Price, who took Norfolk State University football to new heights and is enshrined in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, died Monday at the age of 75 after a long battle with cancer.

Price, born in the Norfolk neighborhood of Lamberts Point, was Norfolk State's winningest football coach. His teams compiled a 61-42-4 record between 1974 and 1983 and won three consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships in the mid- '70s.

In 1997, the school named its new football stadium after him.

"During Dick Price's era, that's when Norfolk State football took off," said Bill Archie, a former football coach and athletic director at the school, who hired Price as his assistant in 1962.

Price, who served as director of athletics after leaving coaching, also led the school's track team to Division II national championships in 1973 and '74.

Because Norfolk State did not have a track at the time, Price's sprinters went through their paces on the sidewalks and streets adjacent to campus. Despite the unusual training situation, Price developed several All-Americans, including Olympic gold medalist Steve Riddick.

Said Indian River High School football coach Elisha "Cadillac" Harris, who played for Price at Norfolk State: "Some people think he was a better track coach than a football coach."

In 2008, Price received the Norfolk Sports Club's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2003, he became the first African American president of the club, an example of Price's willingness to help span the region's racial divide.

"I'm proud of this area and how far it's come," he said in 2008. "I've tried to make a contribution to my community."

Price was also chairman of the Hampton Roads African American Sports Hall of Fame, where he is an original inductee. In 1975, he was the first recipient of the Virginia Beach Sports Club's "Director's Award," an honor given to a local sports personality who demonstrates integrity and character. In 1979, The Virginian-Pilot named Price its "Sports Figure of the Decade."

Price was honored as CIAA Athletic Director of the Year in 1989. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

"I think Dick is going to be known as the most prolific athletic personality we've had at Norfolk State," said Marty Miller, the school's current athletic director.

Price graduated from Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) in 1957 and began his coaching career at the high school level. He was at Union Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach before coming to Norfolk State. At the time, the campus featured only two buildings and no dormitories.

When Price moved up to head football coach, the Spartans had gone 11 consecutive seasons without a winning record, but Price's first three teams won CIAA titles.

"Dick was a master motivator," said Bob Heard, a long-time Price assistant.

Harris, who captained one of Price's championship teams, said, "He was a father figure to a lot of players."

"His players always liked him, so he could get a lot out of them," said former Norfolk State president Dr. Harrison B. Wilson. "He made sure they went to class."

Price wore his emotions on his sleeve, and his infectious enthusiasm made a lot of friends for Norfolk State in the greater South Hampton Roads sports community.

"The guy had a way with everybody," said Archie. "He was a gem as a coach and a gem as a friend."

Heard said: "His personality was such that people just gathered to him. Dick would boast about the closeness of our staff. We went to church together; we'd have family celebrations at each other's homes."

Miller said: "He was one of the most competitive persons I've ever been around, but he had that soft side to him. He'd do anything to help you."

With the success of Price's teams, the Spartans began attracting large crowds to Old Dominion's Foreman Field, where Norfolk State played its home games. That made the Spartans No. 1 in attendance for all Division II schools throughout the country. Today, in many ways, the program is still measured against those years.

When assessing Price's legacy, though, Harris remembers the moments he and his teammates experienced away from the crowds.

"I learned a lot about life under Dick," Harris said. "At every practice, he'd give us a sermonette about how important education was and especially how important it was for black men to get their education and become productive citizens in society."

Bob Molinaro, (757) 446-2373, bob.molinaro@pilotonline.com