Jan. 18, 2016
By Jerome Boettcher | Subscribe to Commodore Nation | 2015 Hall of Fame Class
David Price initially shut the door on Vanderbilt.
Now, the 30-year-old has become an ambassador for the university and its athletic department as he has risen to stardom as one of Major League Baseball’s top pitchers. And in November, the Commodore great was announced as one of nine inductees into Vanderbilt’s 2015 Hall of Fame class.
But back when he was 16, Price couldn’t grasp the notion of pitching for the Commodores. As the Murfreesboro native sat watching the SEC Tournament in 2002, his brother asked him why he didn’t just go play for Vanderbilt.
“I was like, ‘No way,'” Price recalled in November when it was announced he will be inducted into Vanderbilt’s 2015 Hall of Fame class. “They are not any good. The school is too hard. I just slammed the door in his face right there on that.”
Fortunately for the Vanderbilt baseball program and Commodore fans, that decision wasn’t final. Later in 2002, Vanderbilt hired Tim Corbin as head coach. A huge factor in the Commodores transformation into a national powerhouse can be linked to those early years.
That’s when Corbin and his staff laid the groundwork, compiling nationally ranked recruiting classes. Locking in Price, a future No. 1 draft pick, was obviously a huge get for the Commodores. But for Price, the coaching is why Vanderbilt turned from a pretender to a contender in his recruiting process.
“Meeting Coach Corbin and our entire coaching staff, (pitching) coach (Derek) Johnson, (hitting) coach and (recruiting coordinator Erik) Bakich, all those guys, made it easy for me,” Price said. “One hundred percent that is why I came to Vanderbilt.”
Nearly a decade after leaving Vanderbilt, Price looks at his time on campus as the formative years of his life. Beyond developing on the baseball field, Price learned accountability and the importance of wielding his skillset for the betterment of himself and others in everyday life.
“It made me mature as a person,” said Price, who signed a seven-year deal with the Boston Red Sox in December. “It made me mature as a man. It is what I needed. It was the perfect scenario for me at the time. Those years here at Vanderbilt were the most cherished years of my life. Hands down, the best decision I’ve ever made was to come here. I feel like I still have a ton to give back to Vanderbilt for me to be able to even catch up with what Vanderbilt has given and done for me. In my eyes, I’m still in the red.”
The left-handed ace is quick to let any and everyone know where he went to school – in case they didn’t pick up on the Black and Gold signs draped throughout his life.
His support is apparent on Twitter, cheering all of the Commodore teams on for all of his more than 800,000 followers to see. He dons VU gear from head to toe under his uniform  the Star V logo on his undershirt was on full display at this year’s All-Star Game  and passed shirts on to teammates such as Detroit Tigers star Miguel Cabrera.
This past summer, he drove to Champaign, Ill., from Chicago on his off day to be at a NCAA Super Regional to watch the Commodores clinch their third trip to the College World Series. He was again in the stands in Omaha, Neb., for the CWS.
He calls Nashville his home in the offseason. Like Pedro Alvarez, Sonny Gray and other former VU baseball players, he works out at the team’s facilities during the winter months. Corbin even welcomes big league and minor league players who didn’t attend Vanderbilt.
Price says that family environment is what he felt as an undergrad. For someone who doesn’t have a son, Corbin treats his players as if they are his own children.
“We are an extension of his family,” Price said. “He looks at all his players as they are his sons. I tell people all the time that Coach Corbin expects more from his players away from the field than he does on it. He is just a good figure to have in your life, especially at that age. He is special.”
Those values he learned at Vanderbilt shine through in Price’s everyday life.
He is involved in many philanthropic efforts through Project One Four. Price started the charitable foundation in 2008 with the mission of supporting organizations that provide opportunities for youth in the community to learn life skills.
Currently, Project One Four is partnering with the Miracle League and the Murfreesboro City Council to build a Miracle Field in Murfreesboro. The Miracle League gives children with mental and physical disabilities an opportunity to play baseball on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field.
Price became familiar with the Miracle League when he played for the Tampa Bay Rays. Every Saturday in St. Petersburg, Price and his teammates would volunteer and serve as buddies for the children in the league. Price, his parents, Debbie and Bonnie, and the city of Murfreesboro are raising funds for the league. Proceeds from his annual golf tournament in November and his “Dining with David and Friends” dinner went directly to the construction of the Miracle Field.
“That is something my parents told me when I was a little kid  if you’re ever in a position to give back, it is something you want to think about doing,” he said. “Just seeing what it does for (the children). Talking to their parents and telling me how much they look forward to this. It gives them something to look forward to and it feels good.”
