State College, Pa. - November 3, 2004 - The Penn State Nittany Lion basketball program picked up nearly 40 years of collegiate basketball experience with the naming of Eldon Price as its Director of Basketball Operations. Price, who just concluded a 15-year stint as the head women's coach at Rider University, joins the Penn State family to take on its Operations duties.
Prior to his tenure as the head women's coach at Rider, Price was an assistant men's coach with the Broncs from 1986 to 1989. He was also Rider's head golf coach during that period. A 1961 Penn State graduate, Price began his collegiate coaching career as the head men's coach at Penn State Beaver, where he spent 19 years (1963-87) as the athletics director, physical education chair and head coach of eight sports.
Price is the only women's basketball coach in Rider history to compile over 100 wins (he has 162). Under Price, the Broncs improved their record every year over a span of five seasons. During his 35 years as a head coach, Price garnered nearly 400 career victories.
"I'm very pleased to welcome someone with the experience of Eldon Price to the Penn State basketball family," Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis said. "He has nearly 40 years of collegiate coaching experience. He will bring a unique leadership quality to our Basketball Operations position and is an invaluable addition to our program."
Price brings the experience of having coached in nearly 800 college basketball games and over 20 years as an athletic administrator. Penn State opens up its season on Sunday, Nov. 14, vs. Illinois State in the BCA Classic in Milwaukee, Wis. The Lions and ISU will tangle at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.