| No. 81 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1976-10-27)October 27, 1976 (age 49) 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: 2nd round, 53rd overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Peerless LeCross Price (born October 27, 1976) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver for nine seasons in theNational Football League (NFL).
Price playedcollege football for theTennessee Volunteers and was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the second round of the1999 NFL draft. Price also played for theAtlanta Falcons andDallas Cowboys.
Born inDayton, 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 ofMeadowdale High School in Dayton.[2] He was a high school All-American and was considered a major athlete when he enrolled at theUniversity of Tennessee in 1995 because he was a three sport star in high school.[1] Price played college football under head coachPhillip Fulmer.[3]
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]
During his 1996 sophomore campaign, Price recorded 32 receptions for threetouchdowns and 609 yards in Tennessee's 10–2 season.[6][7] He excelled in a 35–29 loss to theFlorida 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]
WhenJoey Kent left following the 1996 season, Price stepped into the starting lineup full-time as a junior, wherePeyton 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 anSEC Championship.[12][13] He was, for the second consecutive year, named an Academic All-SEC pick.[9]
AfterMarcus Nash graduated, Price stepped into the top spot on the Volunteers' receiving corps for the 1998 season.[14] In a tight game againstAlabama, 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 facedMississippi State in theSEC 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 theFiesta Bowl againstFlorida 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 cornerbackDwayne Goodrich.[20]
| 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 ft10+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 fromNFL Combine[21][22] | ||||||||||||
In spite of his successful career in college, Price still fell to the second round of the1999 NFL draft, where he was drafted 53rd overall by theBuffalo Bills. He was the fifth wide receiver to be selected in the 1999 NFL Draft.[23]
Price enjoyed his greatest success as the secondary receiver for the 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 theIndianapolis Colts.[24] In Week 7, against theSeattle 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 theSeattle 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 theSan Diego Chargers.[29] In Week 10, against theSeattle 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 againstMinnesota.[33] After the season, the Bills used theFranchise Tag to ensure Price stayed with the team.[34] Price was given permission to seek a trade, and theAtlanta Falcons were willing to give up a first round pick in the2003 NFL draft for Price.[35] The Bills used it to select running backWillis McGahee.[36]
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 theMinnesota 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 theDivisional Round against theSt. Louis Rams, he had a receiving touchdown in the 47–17 victory.[40][41] He was released during the 2005 offseason.[42]
In 2005, Price signed a one-year deal with theDallas Cowboys to be the third receiver andpunt returner.[43] Price was also reunited with quarterbackDrew 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]
Price re-signed with the Bills and regained his secondary wide receiver role. In the 2006 season, he caught a game-winning touchdown against theHouston Texans[46] and a crucial touchdown in a low-scoring game against theMinnesota Vikings.[47] He finished the 2006 season with 49 receptions for 402 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[48]
Price was placed on theinjured reserve list on October 19, 2007, after having season-endingneck surgery.[49] He appeared in four games and had seven receptions for 68 yards.[50]
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 theCOVID-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]
| Year | Team | GP | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | 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 | |