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Peerless Price

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Peerless Price
No. 81
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1976-10-27) October 27, 1976 (age 48)
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Meadowdale
(Dayton, Ohio)
College:Tennessee (1995–1998)
NFL draft:1999 / round: 2 / pick: 53
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:403
Receiving yards:5,281
Receiving average:13.1
Receiving touchdowns:31
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Peerless LeCross Price (born October 27, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Price played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1999 NFL draft. Price also played for the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.

Early years

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Born in Dayton, Ohio, Price's name was inspired by the name of a local moving company. His mother explained that he was given the name because she liked it, and also because she hoped that her son, growing up in a rough neighborhood, would avoid a life of crime.[1]

Price was recruited heavily out of Meadowdale High School in Dayton.[2] He was a high school All-American and was considered a major athlete when he enrolled at the University of Tennessee in 1995 because he was a three sport star in high school.[1] Price played college football under head coach Phillip Fulmer.[3]

College career

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1995 season

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As a freshman in the 1995 season, Price had six receptions for 71 receiving yards in a backup role in the Volunteers' 11–1 season.[4][5]

1996 season

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During his 1996 sophomore campaign, Price recorded 32 receptions for three touchdowns and 609 yards in Tennessee's 10–2 season.[6][7] He excelled in a 35–29 loss to the Florida Gators with seven receptions for 161 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.[8] In addition to gaining attention for his play on the field, Price was named to the Academic All-SEC team.[9]

1997 season

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When Joey Kent left following the 1996 season, Price stepped into the starting lineup full-time as a junior, where Peyton Manning found Price to be a dependable target. In the 1997 season, he started every game and emerged as a legitimate deep threat.[10][11] He finished with 48 receptions, netting 698 yards and six touchdowns and helped guide the Volunteers to an SEC Championship.[12][13] He was, for the second consecutive year, named an Academic All-SEC pick.[9]

1998 season

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After Marcus Nash graduated, Price stepped into the top spot on the Volunteers' receiving corps for the 1998 season.[14] In a tight game against Alabama, Price tied a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that sparked a Volunteers victory and continued their success.[15] Tennessee finished the regular season 11–0 and faced Mississippi State in the SEC Championship Game.[16] With the Vols trailing by four points in the fourth quarter, Price pulled in a pass over the shoulder for a 41-yard touchdown. Tennessee won the game by score of 24–14, and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl against Florida State to decide the national champion for the 1998 season.[17][18]

In the final game of his career with Tennessee, Price recorded four receptions for a total of 199 yards and the deciding 79-yard receiving touchdown en route to a 23–16 victory and the school's first consensus national championship in 47 years.[19] For his performance, Price was named the game's co-MVP with cornerback Dwayne Goodrich.[20]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 10+7⁄8 in
(1.80 m) 		180 lb
(82 kg) 		31+1⁄2 in
(0.80 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.55 s 1.56 s 2.60 s 4.09 s 7.28 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
All values from NFL Combine[21][22]

In spite of his successful career in college, Price still fell to the second round of the 1999 NFL draft, where he was drafted 53rd overall by the Buffalo Bills. He was the fifth wide receiver to be selected in the 1999 NFL Draft.[23]

Buffalo Bills

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Price enjoyed his greatest success as the secondary receiver for the Buffalo Bills. He made his NFL debut in the Bills' 1999 regular season opener. He had three receptions for 51 receiving yards in the 31–14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.[24] In Week 7, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had five receptions for 106 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 26–16 loss.[25] In his rookie season, he appeared in all 16 games and had 31 receptions for 393 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[26]

In the 2000 season, Price had his best game in the regular season finale against the Seattle Seahawks with eight receptions for 132 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 42–23 victory.[27] He finished the 2000 season with 52 receptions for 762 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 16 games, which were all starts.[28]

In Week 7 of the 2001 season, Price had eight receptions for 151 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 27–24 loss to the San Diego Chargers.[29] In Week 10, against the Seattle Seahawks, he had ten receptions for 138 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 23–20 loss.[30] In the 2001 season, Price had 55 receptions for 895 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 16 games, all starts.[31]

In the 2002 season, he appeared in and started all 16 games. He had five games going over the 100-yard mark and two games with multiple receiving touchdowns. He caught 94 passes for 1,252 yards and nine touchdowns.[32] His best game came on September 15, 2002, when he caught 13 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard score in overtime, during a 45–39 victory against Minnesota.[33] After the season, the Bills used the Franchise Tag to ensure Price stayed with the team.[34] Price was given permission to seek a trade, and the Atlanta Falcons were willing to give up a first round pick in the 2003 NFL draft for Price.[35] The Bills used it to select running back Willis McGahee.[36]

Atlanta Falcons

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In the 2003 season, Price appeared in all 16 games and recorded 64 receptions for 838 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[37] His best game on the season came in Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings, with 12 receptions for 168 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 39–26 loss.[38]

In the 2004 season, he finished with 45 receptions for 575 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[39] In the Divisional Round against the St. Louis Rams, he had a receiving touchdown in the 47–17 victory.[40][41] He was released during the 2005 offseason.[42]

Dallas Cowboys

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In 2005, Price signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys to be the third receiver and punt returner.[43] Price was also reunited with quarterback Drew Bledsoe, with whom he had shared so much success in Buffalo and who actively lobbied for his signing. He was released on December 3 after catching only six passes for 96 yards, of which one was 58 yards on a single pass play.[44][45]

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

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Price re-signed with the Bills and regained his secondary wide receiver role. In the 2006 season, he caught a game-winning touchdown against the Houston Texans[46] and a crucial touchdown in a low-scoring game against the Minnesota Vikings.[47] He finished the 2006 season with 49 receptions for 402 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[48]

Price was placed on the injured reserve list on October 19, 2007, after having season-ending neck surgery.[49] He appeared in four games and had seven receptions for 68 yards.[50]

Retirement and post-playing career

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On February 14, 2008, the Bills released Price,[51] after which he retired from football. According to Price, he then started coaching his daughter's fourth grade basketball team because they needed a coach. He continued coaching several teams. After a girl asked him if he had a degree, Price returned to college in 2016.[52]

In May 2020, Price received his BA degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in a virtual ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[53] On February 3, 2021, Tennessee State University announced that Price had joined the Tigers football team as a volunteer coach for the spring season.[54]

NFL statistics

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Year Team Games Receptions Yards Yards per Reception Longest Reception Touchdowns First Downs Fumbles Fumbles Lost
1999 BUF 16 31 393 12.7 45 3 19 0 0
2000 BUF 16 52 762 14.7 42 3 34 3 3
2001 BUF 16 55 895 16.3 70 7 37 1 0
2002 BUF 16 94 1,252 13.3 73 9 57 2 1
2003 ATL 16 64 838 13.1 49 3 40 0 0
2004 ATL 16 45 575 12.8 50 3 28 0 0
2005 DAL 7 6 96 16.0 58 0 4 0 0
2006 BUF 16 49 402 8.2 25 3 20 1 1
2007 BUF 4 7 68 9.7 22 0 5 0 0
Career 123 403 5,281 13.1 73 31 244 7 5

References

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  1. ^ a b Thomsen, Ian (December 14, 1998). "Price Is Rising: Tennessee's standout wideout, Peerless Price, has a singular ability to live up to his one-of-a-kind name when the game is on the line". Sports Illustrated Vault. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. ^ "Peerless Price – Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Ray, Matt (May 15, 2020). "Vols Great Peerless Price Sees Tennessee Competing for National Titles Soon". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "1995 Tennessee Volunteers Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  5. ^ "1995 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "1996 Tennessee Volunteers Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  7. ^ "1996 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  8. ^ "Football vs #4 Florida on 9/21/1996 – Box Score". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Former UT Athletes Obtain Degrees with Help of SouthEast Bank RAC Program". SouthEast Bank. May 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Calhoun, Caleb (December 5, 2016). "Why Peerless Price is the Greatest Playmaker in the History of the Tennessee Vols". All for Tennessee. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Rosenblatt, Richard (August 17, 1997). "Peyton's in Place, Powlus Is Back and Paterno Starts No. 1 : It's Still Only August, but the 128th Season Will Get Under Way This Week". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "1997 Tennessee Volunteers Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  13. ^ Sallee, Barrett (August 24, 2012). "Classic SEC Football: Tennessee Tops Auburn in the 1997 SEC Championship Game". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  14. ^ "1998 Tennessee Volunteers Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Hodges, Jim (October 25, 1998). "Price Volunteers and Pays Big Return". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  16. ^ "1998 Tennessee Volunteers Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  17. ^ Gaughan, Mark (September 26, 1999). "Birth right Peerless Price destined to make name for himself from beginning". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Harralson, Dan (August 8, 2021). "PHOTOS: Tennessee defeats Florida State to win 1998 national championship". Vols Wire. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Ray, Matt (May 16, 2020). "Watch: Peerless Price Relives 79-Yard TD Bomb in 1998 National Championship". Sports Illustrated Tennessee Volunteers News, Analysis and More. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  20. ^ "28th Annual Fiesta Bowl – Fiesta Bowl". Fiesta Bowl. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  21. ^ "Peerless Price, Combine Results, WR – Tennessee". nflcombineresults.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  22. ^ "Peerless Price RAS". ras.football. January 14, 2020. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts – September 12th, 1999". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  25. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks – October 24th, 1999". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  26. ^ "Peerless Price 1999 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  27. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks – December 23rd, 2000". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  28. ^ "Peerless Price 2000 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers – October 28th, 2001". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  30. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills – November 18th, 2001". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  31. ^ "Peerless Price 2001 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  32. ^ "Peerless Price 2002 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  33. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Minnesota Vikings – September 15th, 2002". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  34. ^ Wojton, Nick (February 22, 2022). "Here are the 5 players the Bills have used the franchise tag on". Bills Wire. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  35. ^ "Price is right: Falcons trade for Peerless". Savannah Morning News. March 8, 2003. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  36. ^ Wawrow, John (April 25, 2003). "Bills Take a Chance on Miami RB McGahee". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  37. ^ "Peerless Price 2003 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  38. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – October 5th, 2003". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  39. ^ "Peerless Price 2004 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  40. ^ "Divisional Round – St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons – January 15th, 2005". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  41. ^ Ikic, Adnan (July 26, 2018). "Throwback Thursday Series: Peerless Price fails to live up to the hype". The Falcoholic. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  42. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (August 31, 2005). "Falcons release receiver Price". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  43. ^ "Peerless Price signs with Cowboys". UPI. September 4, 2005. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  44. ^ "Report: Cowboys release receiver Price". USA Today. Associated Press. December 4, 2005. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  45. ^ "Peerless Price 2005 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  46. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans – November 19th, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  47. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills – October 1st, 2006". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  48. ^ "Peerless Price 2006 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  49. ^ "Price becomes ninth Bills player to be placed on injured reserve". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Associated Press. October 19, 2007. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  50. ^ "Peerless Price 2007 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  51. ^ "Bills Release WR Peerless Price, Two Others". Buffalo Rumblings. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  52. ^ Brown, Patrick (May 16, 2020). "Everything Vols legend Peerless Price said on Finebaum". GoVols247. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  53. ^ Laster, Akilah (May 7, 2020). "Peerless Price Returns to the Big Stage". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  54. ^ "Former NFL Receiver Peerless Price Joins Big Blue Staff". Tennessee State University. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
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