CSUN Volleyball Coach Subsidizes Paycheck With Part-Time Job at Burbank Sandwich Shop

When John Price says he had to sweat out another tough day at work, he’s not necessarily referring to his job as volleyball coach at Cal State Northridge.

The perspiration on his brow and the exasperated look may not be from a match that came down to the final serve. They could be from another busy day at the sub shop.

Price, 28, has worked at a submarine sandwich restaurant in Burbank since he was a college student. Now that he is a college coach, little has changed. Even the lines are the same:

“Hey John, hear you got some good-looking subs on the team this year,” or, “Hey John, UCLA really pounded you guys into sub mission last night.”

More disturbing to Price is that his income is sub marginal. “I’m getting a little tired of the starving-student routine,” he said. “I pay my bills and rent and there’s nothing left. No savings. I live month to month, basically.”

And why might an intelligent guy like Price, a college graduate, work at a sandwich shop for less than some of his players might make?

“Coaching, it’s a disease. It’s as addictive as drugs. I joke about it, but it’s a big priority for me,” the second-year coach said. It’s the reason I’m still at the sub shop. The job gives me flexibility. I can basically leave and come anytime.”

During the season, Price works about 33 hours a week at the restaurant. In the off-season, he works full time.

Northridge, which is Division II in everything but men’s volleyball, is 14-17 overall this season and 3-10 and in eighth place in the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. The Matadors have never made the regional playoffs, but that goal is becoming more attainable. CSUN has only two seniors on its roster and four talented redshirts in reserve.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel now,” Price said.

But regardless of how the volleyball team progresses, Price said he won’t be making the sub shop his career much longer. “I’ve been thinking about my future a lot lately,” he said. “Most of my friends are getting established in their jobs and are successful. I’m successful, too, but not in a monetary sense. I don’t see myself in the same shoes two years from now. Something has to break.”