Crimson Red Sports

Around Campus => The Quad => Topic started by: Coach Hank Crisp on October 21, 2011, 12:14:57 PM



Title: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Coach Hank Crisp on October 21, 2011, 12:14:57 PM
http://www.remembertherosebowl.com/2011/10/william-ralph-shorty-price.html

Quote
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-drGB4cdp648/TqFt2OY7k8I/AAAAAAAABm4/BYXWGM2vVfU/s1600/price.jpg)
Shorty Price being escorted from a game in the 1950s.

For decades, William Ralph Price - known to one and all "Shorty" due to his five foot stature - was perhaps the Alabama Crimson Tide football team's most famous, and infamous, fan.

A graduate of the University of Alabama, Price had briefly roomed with future governor George Wallace while attending law school in Tuscaloosa. A student during the high point of Frank Thomas' powerful 1940s Crimson Tide teams, Price's lifelong devotion to Alabama football began when he was elected to the cheerleading squad.

He became a staple at home games, dressing in garish outfits, smoking his trademark Tampa Nugget cigars and standing on the in-field wall exhorting the crowd to cheer. Price was as likely to be found dancing in the aisles as climbing the goalposts and almost always heavily inebriated.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s


I remember seeing Shorty Price at Legion Field waving a flagpole with all the SEC schools pennants attached. I can still hear PA announcer Simpson Pepper say " Shorty Price please report to the pressbox."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqTxnwXhVnI


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 12:27:47 PM
This may ruin this thread but the whole story should be told. My roommate brought Shorty home after a game. He called his son the next morning and he came to pick up his Dad. It was a sad situation. The son handled it well, for I guess, it was their every Saturday routine. LOL-- some girl spending the night came back from the bathroom and said, "There is some old guy on your couch!"


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Chechem on October 21, 2011, 12:37:47 PM
This may ruin this thread but the whole story should be told. My roommate brought Shorty home after a game. He called his son the next morning and he came to pick up his Dad. It was a sad situation. The son handled it well, for I guess, it was their every Saturday routine. LOL-- some girl spending the night came back from the bathroom and said, "There is some old guy on your couch!"

 :(  I guess I'm not surprised. 

Who was the girl?  Pics?


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 12:46:27 PM
Remember that old bar across the street from Legion Field--not really a bar but a window like a sno-cone stand---where you could buy beer pre/post game? There was 4 really nicely dressed older BARNER women--probably in their 40s in retrospect. As if Shorty just popped up magically, he appeared in front of these ladies and let go with his patented---"EFFFFFFFFFFFFFF Auburn!" I'll never forget the look of disgust on their faces. LOL


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Coach Hank Crisp on October 21, 2011, 12:54:01 PM
I saw him being escorted out of Legion Field a few times. Most people didn't pay him very much attention. When I was young, I asked my day why the PA announcer always mentioned his name during the game and he said it was just a on going joke.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Chechem on October 21, 2011, 01:17:30 PM
(http://bp2.blogger.com/_35Y8ht_hsIs/R7L7bNEy0yI/AAAAAAAAACM/GkT2txfFNgQ/s1600/shortyprice.jpeg)

This will always be my memory of him.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: 2Stater on October 21, 2011, 02:02:02 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 04:07:41 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: 2Stater on October 21, 2011, 04:32:21 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 04:40:14 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?
Sometimes people have heart attacks while driving. A minister friend of mine died that way. Did the heart attack cause the car wreck or did the trauma from the car wreck cause the heart attack?

But I bet SP did not drive.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Coach Hank Crisp on October 21, 2011, 04:51:52 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 04:58:51 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.
So it doesn't take much of a stretch to say SP died on his way to Jackson. Roll Tide to Shorty Price.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 05:12:55 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.
So it doesn't take much of a stretch to say SP died on his way to Jackson. Roll Tide to Shorty Price.
Off topic a little--But I think I remember losing to Ole Miss in Jackson in either 79 or 78. This must've been the post-Vaught glory years for the State of Mississippi.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: Coach Hank Crisp on October 21, 2011, 05:26:35 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.
So it doesn't take much of a stretch to say SP died on his way to Jackson. Roll Tide to Shorty Price.
Off topic a little--But I think I remember losing to Ole Miss in Jackson in either 79 or 78. This must've been the post-Vaught glory years for the State of Mississippi.

It wasn't '78 or '79. Lost to Southern Cal at Legion Field in 1978 and went undefeated in 1979.

September 11 1976 Jackson, Mississippi Ole Miss 10–7.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 05:52:31 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.
So it doesn't take much of a stretch to say SP died on his way to Jackson. Roll Tide to Shorty Price.
Off topic a little--But I think I remember losing to Ole Miss in Jackson in either 79 or 78. This must've been the post-Vaught glory years for the State of Mississippi.

It wasn't '78 or '79. Lost to Southern Cal at Legion Field in 1978 and went undefeated in 1979.

September 11 1976 Jackson, Mississippi Ole Miss 10–7.
Time to re-calibrate. Only 3 years off. I'll bet it is still fresh in the Mississippi fan's mind. LOL


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: BAMAWV on October 21, 2011, 06:01:48 PM
Shorty died of a heart attack right after cowbell U beat us 6-3 in 1980.
So it wasn't in a car accident, maybe on the way to Starkville?

Wow! After your post, I wikipedia'd him. That's what it says- car accident. I remember hearing on the radio after that game that he died from a heart attack. I even remember where I was when I heard it. My bad.
 :-[

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ36gv3AP_s
From the OP

11-01-80  What was the date of the Miss. St. game that season?


Yeah - November 1 1980 Jackson, MS Mississippi State 6-3

I remember going to Miss. State games on Halloween before.
So it doesn't take much of a stretch to say SP died on his way to Jackson. Roll Tide to Shorty Price.
Off topic a little--But I think I remember losing to Ole Miss in Jackson in either 79 or 78. This must've been the post-Vaught glory years for the State of Mississippi.

It wasn't '78 or '79. Lost to Southern Cal at Legion Field in 1978 and went undefeated in 1979.

September 11 1976 Jackson, Mississippi Ole Miss 10–7.
Time to re-calibrate. Only 3 years off. I'll bet it is still fresh in the Mississippi fan's mind. LOL
The '76 loss was the Charlie Daniels/BAMAWV "last thing I wanted was to get in a fight, in Jackson Mississippi on a Saturday night..." story.


Title: Re: William Ralph "Shorty" Price
Post by: 2Stater on October 21, 2011, 06:02:47 PM
What's fresh on the Ole Miss mind is the juke that TR put on that Ole Miss player last week. They'll not get over that soon. ESPN is still playing that highlight almost as much as CNS's press conference faux pas.