[3] Price was discovered by Pete Boston, then-head coach of N.D. Taylor High School in Yazoo City, who was refereeing one of his games in Louise.
[2] Price attended Alcorn State University, where he majored in physical education while earning four letters for the Braves football team.
[2][12] His speed and quickness were praised by head coach J. D. Roberts in training camp and he made the final roster.
[6] In a 51–27 win over the Seattle Seahawks, he forced a fumble on Don Testerman on the first play of the game before intercepting a screen pass and returning it 23 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
[13] In 1978, Price led all National Football Conference (NFC) interior linemen with 104 total tackles (82 unassisted), as well as seven sacks and four forced fumbles as the team won a franchise-record seven games.
[20][21] On August 3, 1979, Price signed a four-year contract extension with the Saints, just hours ahead of the team's first preseason game.
[22] However, he expressed that he "wasn't happy at all" with the outcome and that the Saints "just caught [him] in a vulnerable spot" during negotiations since he was entering his option year.
[22] On September 20, Price was placed on the injured reserve list due to a damaged shoulder, making room for the Saints to sign Rick Partridge.