Family, friends celebrate the life of coach Larry Price
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – It was a Sunday afternoon dedicated to the life of Dr. Larry Price.
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Price died on March 27 and was 91 years old.
He was a prolific figure in Hawaii from his years as a broadcaster and on the football field.
Price’s playing career went from Roosevelt to the University of Hawaii, where he was a three-time team captain and a stint with the Los Angeles Rams.
He later became the head coach of the Rainbows from 1974 to 1976.
“Coach Price was a real warrior,” Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said. “It was about never giving up, it was about believing in yourself, it was about being humble enough to recognize that we’re all human, but then what do we do with that? How do we overcome that? How do we compel ourselves to excellence?”
Mayor Blangiardi played for Coach Price, then eventually joined his coaching staff, creating a bond that the mayor says was never broken.
“Coach Price and I go back to 1965 when I played for him and then subsequently coached with him,” Blangiardi said. “He has been my lifelong coach, my friend, my mentor, somebody who’s just been absolutely extraordinary in my life.”
Then there was his career in the broadcast booth.
Coach Price was a pivotal piece of airing high school sports across the state, bringing his signature “Katoosh” line after a big hit to homes every Friday night.
He’s also well known for his radio show with Michael W. Perry.
“Larry and I spent 33 years together and it was a great 33 years,” Perry said. “We had lots of fun and as I’ve mentioned many times before, I was the younger, more argumentative brother that he never wanted, but he was the older brother I needed.”
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Perry recounted their almost abrupt start as on-air partners to becoming a staple on the local morning commute.
“I’ll never forget all of the things he taught me,” Perry added. “I learned so much from him and hope to carry that on for a while longer.”
Coach’s legacy can still be seen to this day with the current UH football team coming to support the Price ohana and help with Sunday’s ceremony.
“It’s very important for coach Timmy (Chang) and myself, you know, for us to be here and show our respect to coach, you know,” said UH associate head coach Chris Brown. “We brought some of the boys and we told the boys, ‘hey, if not for coach and these and the guys that he coached, man, we might not be where we’re at today,’ you know, so we have to go and show our respect to coach.”
Another lasting endeavor of Coach Price was establishing the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame.
Just one part of a full life well lived.
“He can’t be ignored and this is just a little handful of the people that he touched,” Perry said.
“He was great, he’s a great human being and he was great for Hawaii,” Blangiardi added.
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