Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023

Today our ride was dedicated in honor of:

Marine Veteran Max Alvin Price, Age 86 of Thorntown, IN.
Died Apr. 10, 2020

Max Price, was born on October 8,1933 in Thorntown , IN to Haven & Margaret Price. Max was the sixth child of 9 born to the Price household. The Price family lived very modestly in a small 3-bedroom home. Max and 3 brothers slept in the same bed.
As a young teen, Dad was invited to play basketball. His coach took him under his wing and this encouraged dad to keep his grades up to make the team. So faithfully he practiced and played ball. His siblings nicknamed him “Crow Bait”.
In 8 th grade he started to ‘like’, Barbara Sallee , who would become his sweetheart for all the rest of his years . Dad began beating up all the boys my mom used to beat up in Jr. High. In high school he played ball for Thorntown and mom was a cheerleader .
After graduation with little jobs available , Dad became a Marine, like his older brothers. He said that his Marine uniform was the nicest clothes he’d ever worn. I asked dad one time if he’d ever been in combat, and he said , no. I played ball for the Marines.
He married Barbara Sallee and a year after , I was born. 3 years later he began college on the GI Bill for Secondary Education at Purdue. He felt led to become a coach. In those years Dad set a few records at Purdue including a bench pressing record that has yet been beaten. My sister , Dawn was born and a year later, my brother Mark.
We all lived in a small trailer in Thowntown . The responsibilities of a growing family did not stop him from finishing his degree .
Dad’s first coaching & teaching position was in 1960 at Pinnel High School – Millidgeville, IN where his team went on to the Regional Basketball tournament . The movie Hoosiers , no doubt could have been taken from the real life story of this school’s odds for winning. Dad had taken a little known team with hardworking players all the way to the Regional. Everyone was riding high .
A tragedy struck Coach Price and his wife in 1960 when they lost their precious 18 month old baby boy, Mark David. Later , one of his beloved Basketball players lost his life as well. President John F Kennedy was assassinated during those years. These tragedies seem to knit the players and Coach even closer.
I remember dad and mom fixing a dinner for their players in our modest 2 BR farmhouse. I remember Dad in heels with hairy legs wearing a dress with a scarf on his head for a costume party at the school! Great times ! One winter tournament mom and dad and the players were stranded at the gym of the school because of a bad snowstorm. I remember our babysitter fixing soup on our living room stove since we had lost electricity .
Dad and mom were blessed with another son, Rodney Alvin Brent where at two, “ Hot Rod” as the ball players nicknamed him , could dribble the basketball between his legs during halftime at the ballgames. Rod went on to play Football for the San Diego Chargers. After an injury, Rod later became a Professional Wrestler with Steve Austin and him as a tag team in Texas for a few years. …This is Rod’s bio: Yes, played HS FB for American Christian Academy dad coached me from 9-11 grade was All California RB, senior year went to Alta Loma HS was all California Line Backer & Offensive lineman, Went to San Bernardino Valley College, was all American-California at guard, & long snapper 81 , 82 was 11-0 undefeated was California state Champs, All State Center, 83’ got a full ride scholarship to California State at Long Beach, coaches left before fall season, played semi pro 83’, 84 went to the LA Rams camp, was cut after 6 weeks, played semi pro, started professional wrestling camp in 84, went to Azusa Pacific for 85, 86 started doing shows for AWA promotion in Ca. & NV. 87 played with the Chargers , late 87-88 was full time wrestler, moved to Texas worked for the Von Erich’s, & Uswa promotions, went to Japan for WWF & SWA promotions in Japan, went to overseas to South Africa, WWF, came back to the states worked for GWF Dallas 90-94, 94 worked for Jim Crockett 95 went to Germany for Otto Vons, came back in 96, worked for WWF, did dark matches for new talent they wanted to use, 97, went back to Japan for now promotion till 98, worked for USWA , WWF, ECW, for 6 months, then 98 & 99 worked for ECW, 2000 retired, started my school in Gulfport Ms, ran shows from 2001-2005 Katrina hurricane hit, did independent shows 4 days a week from 2006-2012 retired as in ring talent, worked with different positions to this day, putting matches together, helping with tv in Tx. Benefit show Aug 12th in Gilmer Tx for one our guys Black Bart that has stage 4 colon cancer…
Coach Price was offered coaching jobs at big high schools several times but he always chose the small schools. He loved the underdog.
He went on to coach and teach at Ladoga High School – the Ladoga Canners for 5 years where we had great memories , then he went to Dugger, Indiana – the Dugger Bulldogs for 2 years where he received his Masters Degree at ISU before moving to NW Indiana at Hammond Baptist High School in Hammond , IN, – 4 years , then out of state to Central Baptist Academy in Ontario, CA for 3 years.
More than his love for Coaching, more than his influence to young men who would join the marines because of him, or name their sons , Max after him, Dad wanted to share his faith in his personal relationship in Jesus Christ for a more eternal value.
He pastored Calvary Baptist Church, Los Angeles , CA for 13 years , where he took a Spanish Course and worked on his Doctorate Degree, Bible Baptist Church , Rockwall , TX for 5 years. And lastly , Assistant Pastor at UCC in Glendale , CA for 5 years.
Mom and Dad were married for 44 years. After mom passed away he moved to Oklahoma City, OK. He accepted the position as head Coach for Football and Basketball at Oklahoma Baptist College where he also was the Dean of boys. On his 69 th birthday, to inspire his players to work harder he promised to touch the rim . He did so.
There he received his Doctor of Divinty and traveled to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to India, Africa ,Philippians . While in Africa he was able to lead a 107 year old Tribal Chief to Jesus Christ because dad was ‘older’ and thus respected by the Chief. He also preached in Poland and spent a lonely Christmas at the airport . He flew to Israel 8 times, not as a tourist, but ministering to Israeli soldiers on the front line during the Gaza tension wearing bullet proof vests and traveling in bullet proof buses.
He panned for gold in Montana while helping preach a Revival. Dad also loved fishing and hunting deer. It was told he carried 2 large size deer by himself ( at 70 years old ) through the woods while leaving a man much younger than himself behind and out of breath.
Hundreds and perhaps more souls trusted Christ as their Saviour throughout his life. At 85 he led a young 8 year old boy to Jesus, his last known convert before he left this earthly home.
He loved all his ballplayers and wanted them to be with him in Heaven someday .
Dad was a humble man, he never complained and never wanted to be bragged on. He was a gentle giant.
He moved in with my husband and me 2 years before my precious dad moved onward and upward into Glory on April 14, 2020. Since it was during the Covid Lockdowns we were only allowed to have our immediate family -Sheila( David) , Dawn(John) Rod(Tammy) grandchildren , great grandchildren . My husband is a pastor and conducted our much loved and admired dad’s small ‘not goodbye , but see ya later’ service & then a graveside service in Thorntown, IN, where it all began .
In 2022 , 2 years after his death our dad was inducted into the Boone County Basketball Hall of Fame.

We had a great 21.53 Mile ride this morning. Our first stop was the train depot and then we stopped in at the War Memorial Park. We then made our way out East First Street and stopped in at the Crossville City Cemetery to visit several of our fallen brothers. We then went on out towards Peavine road and took Chestnut Hill Road and made a stop at the Bakers Chapel Cemetery to visit some fallen brothers their. This was our first visit to the Bakers Chapel Cemetery. We then got back on Peavine road and took the Milo Lemert Parkway back to 127. We made our way through town and we stopped by the Centennial Park. We then worked our way over to West Ave and then Sparta Hwy and back home. We had a great ride today. The weather was perfect. I want to thank everyone who honked, waved, and saluted in helping us honor this hero. We had 13 honks today. Thank you !

Marine Veteran Max Alvin Price will not be forgotten !