TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Joe Namath escorted Mike Price past the portraits of Alabama's All-Americans and into a packed room adorned with bouquets of red poinsettias, with Paul Bryant Jr. looking on.

Price was introduced Wednesday as the Crimson Tide's new football coach. He agreed to a seven-year contract to take over a proud but troubled program after building Washington State from a Pacific-10 doormat into a title contender.

Is Price Right?

The marriage of Mike Price and Alabama is a curious one. There's no question that Price has proven himself to be one of the best offensive minds on the West Coast. But none of the questions that will arise out of this hiring pertain to his work on the field. Price has been in Pullman for 14 seasons, and his closing pair of 10-2 records serve as a testament to his skill. However, Price has no ties to the South, no connections to Alabama and no idea of how clear the glass is in the fishbowl that he just agreed to inhabit. The effects of the NCAA probation may not affect Price. He proved at Washington State that the slow building of a successful team won't deter him. Price didn't cut corners in Pullman, and the final result is evident in this year's Pac-10 co-championship team. The question, of course, is whether Alabama's notoriously impatient fans will grant him the waiver that the effects of the probation demand. Hard times aren't a given, but they are certainly a possibility. Price has excellent people skills, and he'll need every one of them to convince the Crimson Tide fans to stick with him for the long haul. -- Ivan Maisel ESPN.com senior writer

Price paid the requisite homage to legendary Tide coach Bear Bryant, embraced the lofty expectations and tradition and expressed confidence he could steer the program through NCAA probation.

"I want to be the second-best coach in the history of Alabama football,'' the 56-year-old head coaching veteran said. "If I could do that, I think that would be wonderful.

"It probably isn't going to be done the way Papa did it, the way coach Bryant did it. It's going to be the way I do it. To walk on the same sidelines that he walked is a huge honor.''

Price accepted the job Tuesday, replacing Dennis Franchione, who left two weeks ago to coach Texas A&M. Athletics director Mal Moore would not disclose the terms of the deal, but Franchione was offered about $1.5 million annually to stay.

Price was making about $900,000 at Washington State. He visited Tuscaloosa last Friday, seeing the sights with the late coach Bryant's son, a university trustee. He saw enough to persuade him to move a couple thousand miles and leave a thriving, Rose Bowl-bound Washington State program after 14 years for "football heaven.''

"There isn't a college coach in the country who wouldn't want this job,'' said Price, who will coach the Cougars against Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl Game presented by PlayStation2. "It's the premier job in the world, and I respect that. And I'm taking it seriously.

"Alabama football means more to me than you'll ever know.''

Price also vowed this will be his final coaching stop, welcome words for Alabama fans stinging from Franchione's abrupt departure after going 10-3 in his second season.

"This is it for me,'' Price said. "This is the end. I'm not going anyplace.''

Price's hire capped a two-week search in which New Orleans Saints assistant Mike Riley turned down the offer and Moore also courted Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and South Florida's Jim Leavitt.

Offensive tackle Wesley Britt drove to Tuscaloosa to attend the news conference, one of only a couple of players able to make it because of the holidays.

He met with Price Wednesday and liked what he saw -- and not just because there was finally someone sitting in Bryant's old corner office.

	By The Numbers
	Washington State, 1989-2002 Overall record 83-77, conference co-champion 1997, co-champion 2002 Led WSU to 1992 Copper Bowl, 1994 Alamo Bowl, 1998 Rose Bowl, 2001 Sun Bowl and upcoming Rose Bowl. Bowl record 3-1. Coached three of WSU's four all-time 10-win seasons. Coached the only two WSU teams (1997, 2001) to finish in Top 10.
	Weber State, 1981-1988 Overall record 46-44, conference co-champion 1987

"It was a huge burden off our back, knowing we have a coach here,'' Britt said. "Not only do we have a coach here, we probably have the best coach for this situation.''

Moore and Price had their first contact about the job two or three days after Franchione left. They met in the late 1970s when Moore was a Bryant assistant and candidate for the Washington State coaching job. Price, then a Cougar assistant, escorted Moore -- who hadn't slept in two days because of recruiting -- around campus.

"I figured if he'd gotten more sleep, he would have gotten the job and I wouldn't be standing here today,'' Price said.

Alabama was banned from a bowl this season and next as part of NCAA penalties that also include heavy scholarship reductions.

The violations occurred before Franchione arrived, but he said the sanctions were a major factor in his departure for A&M. Price didn't seem too concerned.

"I checked it out thoroughly and talked to Mal about it,'' said Price, promising he would run a clean program. "I feel confident that we're going to be able to work things out.

"I'm not concerned about what's going to happen in the future. And I think we have enough depth and enough good players here right now. They won 10 games last year.''

Moore conferred with NCAA officials before hiring Price and found he had a clean record.

"We've got a couple of tough years ahead of us,'' Moore said. "We needed to have someone that recognizes and understands that and will work through it as hard as they can. I think this guy will.

"I think he will bring a lot to this program and to our fans and to the people of this state. They'll love him.''