Ira Price is in his second season as Lindenwood’s cross country head coach and track and field assistant coach.
In his first season at the school, he led the Lady Lions cross country team to a third-place finish at the HAAC Championship, and the men finished fourth at the event. Tanyaradzwa Chibanda advanced as an individual to the women’s national championship race. In track and field, he helped Lindenwood sweep the women’s indoor and outdoor conference championships. The women’s program had two top-10 national finishes, and the men’s team finished in the top 10 at the outdoor nationals.
Prior to Lindenwood, Price was a coach at Lebanon High School in Illinois from 1973-2009. He served as the head cross country coach every year. He was an assistant track and field coach from 1974-82, and head track and field coach from 1983-2009.
In cross country, Price led Lebanon to eight regional and eight sectional championships. His squads appeared in 11 state championships and had five top-10 finishes, including winning the 1976 state championship. Sixteen of his athletes earned all-state honors.
In track and field, 15 athletes earned all-state accolades during his years as the head coach, including one athlete who won a state championship. While an assistant coach, 16 other athletes earned all-state, including two state champions. While at Lebanon, Price’s teams won two section titles and had two top five finishes at state.
Price is a member of the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and received that organization’s Distinguished Service Award. He was the 1976 state cross country coach of the year and earned three coach of the year honors for the south region.
Price lettered in cross country and track and field in college at Meramec Community College and Western Illinois University. He received his bachelor’s in physical education from Western Illinois in 1973 and earned his master’s in physical education from Washington University in 1977.
