Assistant Coach Tyree Price enters his second year on the Bethune-Cookman staff in the 2014-15 season, looking to build on the accomplishments of a very successful campaign for the B-CU Wildcats.
Initially announced by Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Donald Cooper on August 28, 2013, Price proved to be an immediate asset and hit the ground running to strengthen an already talented staff with his wealth of experience.
“Watching Bethune-Cookman from a rival’s perspective, I saw the progress that Coach Cooper has made with this team and program,” Price said at the time of his hiring. “It’s always great to have familiarity with a staff and a program; you know how everything is run, so there’s not too much of a change. You just have to make sure that you bring out his philosophies and convey them to the athletes.”
In 2014-15, Price will remain in an important role for administrative duties. In addition to coaching horizontal jumps for the men, Price will provide guidance to the men’s vertical jumps and assist in the coaching on men’s multi-event athletes.
Last season, the Wildcats horizontal jumpers made a significant impact under Price’s tutelage, led by freshman Kenneth Fisher, who collected both Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor and Outdoor long jump Championships. At the Outdoor Championships, Fisher teamed up with Demetrius Rooks and Nicholas Williams to make a B-CU sweep at the podium. Under Price’s guidance, B-CU jumpers accrued 42 key points for the Wildcats en route to the program’s first MEAC Outdoor Men’s Championship.
Four of Price’s jumpers joined the squad to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary round, with Fisher moving on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, Fisher set a school record and earned second place at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Championships, garnering him a place on Team USA for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships.
Capping off a very successful season for the Wildcats, a pair of Price’s jumpers, Fisher and Rooks, each earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors.
Price came to Bethune-Cookman after six seasons as the head track & field and cross country coach at South Carolina State (SCSU), extending a very long and strong relationship with Cooper as both a colleague and friend.
Before his arrival at B-CU, Cooper was the assistant head coach under Price at SCSU. However, their history began as college teammates at SCSU, later coaching together at Morris Brown and Fort Valley State.
“His presence definitely strengthens the program,” Cooper commented at his hiring. “We’re at a point now that bringing on someone with such experience and knowledge gives us a unique advantage. His ability to recruit, motivate and prepare student-athletes is going to be a huge asset.”
Price’s experience in developing champions precedes him, producing 35 NCAA Regional qualifiers, one NCAA Indoor provisional qualifier, four USA Junior National qualifiers, 85 MEAC All-Conference athletes, over 50 MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team honorees, 17 MEAC Champions, two MEAC record holders, 41 SCSU school record holders, one B-CU school record holder and one IAAF World Juniors (Team USA) performer.
Price’s 2010 SCSU women’s cross country squad earned the highest placement in school history, finishing second overall at the MEAC Cross Country Championships.
Price joined the SC State staff after serving four seasons as the head men’s cross country/track & field coach, and three seasons as the head women’s cross country/track & field coach at Fort Valley State University. At FVSU, he produced 37 NCAA Division II National qualifiers (2004-07), 23 NCAA Division II All-Americans, 5 NCAA Division II Individual National Champions, 27 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Champions, 139 All-SIAC Conference athletes, the 2005 USTFCCCA South Region “Track Athlete of the Year”, the 2006 USTFCCCA South Region “Track Athlete of the Year”, the 2006 USTFCCCA South Region “Field Athlete of the Year”, and has guided the school to several top finishes at the SIAC Cross Country and Track & Field Championships as well as the NCAA Division II Championships.
Prior to his stint at Fort Valley, Price served three seasons as the assistant head coach at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. He also severed as an assistant with “In the Black Track Club”, which produced the 14th ranked 4x400m relay in the world, as well as the sixth place finisher in the triple jump in the 2001 USA Indoor Championships.
Price was a member of the SC State track & field team for four years (1995-98), and also was a member of the football team for one season (1995). Price received his Bachelor’s Degree from South Carolina State in 1998. In addition to his degree from SC State, the Summerville, S.C. native has done further study at Life University and currently Southern New Hampshire University(Master's Sport Administration), and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
His wife, Faith N. Price, joins him in Daytona Beach.
Last season, the Wildcats horizontal jumpers made a significant impact under Price’s tutelage, led by freshman Kenneth Fisher, who collected both Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Indoor and Outdoor long jump Championships. At the Outdoor Championships, Fisher teamed up with Demetrius Rooks and Nicholas Williams to make a B-CU sweep at the podium. Under Price’s guidance, B-CU jumpers accrued 42 key points for the Wildcats en route to the program’s first MEAC Outdoor Men’s Championship.
Four of Price’s jumpers joined the squad to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Preliminary round, with Fisher moving on to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In addition, Fisher set a school record and earned second place at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Junior Championships, garnering him a place on Team USA for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Junior Championships.
Capping off a very successful season for the Wildcats, a pair of Price’s jumpers, Fisher and Rooks, each earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honors.
