Terry Price
Remembering Texas A&M Football's standout
letterman and defensive line coach
By Will Johnson '01
In early August of 2013, just before the start of Aggie Football's preseason camp, Terry Price held one of his renowned “D-Line Cookouts” at his College Station home.
There was the usual revelry and certainly the relishing of the meats Price served up.
Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Julien Obioha raved about the menu.
“Top notch,” he said. “I cannot get better steaks anywhere else.”
Price took pride in his grilling prowess.
“The best steak restaurant in the Brazos Valley is right here in my backyard,” he once boasted with a smile. “I challenge any steak restaurant right now. Come and get it.”
Despite some of the common touches to Price's cookouts, this one was different. It was held just days after defensive lineman Polo Manukainiu passed away in a car accident. His coach and teammates gathered to remember him.
“This is a time everybody needs to be together,” Alonzo Williams, then a sophomore, acknowledged.
“This brings us together as a family,” Price said at the time. “I always say Texas A&M is a family. It has been like that since I went to school here back in the 1980s.”
That evening it became clear that Price was more than a coach and chef. He was their rock. The players leaned on him and needed him during this time.
For Price, it was part of the role. He spent his entire professional career in service of student-athletes. Before that, he was one himself.
Playing for the Aggies from 1986-89, Price helped the program to a 34-14 record. A&M won the Southwest Conference in 1986 and 1987. After the 1987 title, Price and the Aggies beat Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day of 1988. He lined up along the front of the famed “Wrecking Crew.”
With this defense causing a ruckus, a riled-up Kyle Field proved to be very difficult for opponents. The Aggies were 21-3 in home games while Price was wearing the maroon and white. The burnt orange felt the brunt of the Crew's wrath. Price and the Aggies were a perfect 4-0 against Texas.
His coaching career began in 1992 with the Aggies as a volunteer. It was not long until he found himself in the SEC. From 1995-98, he coached the defensive line at Ole Miss, then held the same role at Auburn from 1999-2008. Price returned to Oxford and the Rebels' staff from 2009-11.
In 2012, Price moved to Lubbock and was ready to coach the defensive line at Texas Tech when a call came during the winter months, just after he had settled in.
Price later divulged the contents of that phone call.
Kevin Sumlin had called and asked him to come to his alma mater to coach the defensive front. Sumlin had just been hired as A&M's head coach.
Price's version of the story explained that Sumlin told him to “think about it and call me in the morning.”
So Price, as he put it, told his wife, Kenya, “I'm going to go in the other room and think about it. While I do that, you start packing.”
Price told this story in February of 2012 at a banquet in the Zone Club that celebrated A&M's recent signing class.
He may have embellished the story somewhat, but it was clear how excited he was to come home to Aggieland.
He spent 11 seasons at A&M, recruiting and developing some great Aggie student-athletes. That list includes the only individual in program history to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Myles Garrett.
When hundreds gathered in July 2023 to celebrate the life of Terry Price, Garrett was there. He paid his respects and even spoke on behalf of the man who helped shape him into one of the best football players on the planet.
R.C. Slocum was also among the many who attended the gathering, offering a final thank you in front of all the lives Price had influenced.
The winningest head coach in school history, Slocum told a great story about the recruitment of “TP” to A&M — right down to mentioning that Price was the only prospect he ever saw who arrived for his official visit in a coat and tie.
Price was special, and he affected the lives of so many. His impact made those around him better. No other place felt that influence like Aggieland.
Several who relayed stories about Price used the word “demanding” when describing his coaching style. He certainly was.
If one ever attended an Aggie practice, Price's booming voice was likely the first sound they heard upon entering the gates of the Coolidge Practice Fields.
Price demanded a high level of performance from his guys, and he did not allow anyone to take a play off. He required them to be all in at all times. He expected them to give everything they had.
After watching Price for a while, it became clear as to why. It was because that is exactly what he did as a player and then as a coach.
In life, Terry Price gave his all for Texas A&M, and Aggieland will forever feel his impact.