Buddy Teevens, the head coach of the Dartmouth Big Green football team, died on Sept. 19, the school announced. He was 66 years old. The cause of death was complications from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident in March. During the accident, which happened in Florida, Teevens sustained spinal cord injuries and his right leg was amputated.
“Our family is heartbroken to inform you that our beloved ‘coach’ has peacefully passed away surrounded by family. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained proved too challenging for even him to overcome,” the Teevens family said in a statement. “Throughout this journey, we consistently relayed the thoughts, memories, and love sent his way. Your kindness and letters of encouragement did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by both Buddy and our family.”
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Teevens had two stints at Dartmouth. He was first hired as the head coach in 1987 and was there through the 1991 season. During that time, Teevens led the Big Green to two Ivy League Championships (1990, 1991). He returned to Dartmouth in 2005 and won Ivy League titles in 2015, 2019 and 2021. Teevens also spent time as a head coach at Maine (1985-1986), Tulane (1992-1996) and Stanford (2002-2004).
“His impact both on college football and the NFL has been enormous,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said of Teevens during the 2023 NFL draft, per ESPN. “He has been a leader in making our game safer through breakthrough innovations. He is a pioneer in hiring female coaches, two of whom are currently coaching in the NFL.”
Teevens is also known for making football safer. He reduced full-contact practices by focusing on technique, which led to the development of the Mobile Virtual Player, a robotic tackling dummy that has been used by other college programs and NFL teams.
Sammy McCorkle has taken over as the interim head coach and led the team to a win over Lehigh 34-17, four days after Teevens’ death. “I’m just so proud of the players,” McCorkle said during a postgame press conference. “They did a phenomenal job. Everything we’ve asked them to do, they’ve done it. They are a fun group to coach, and I enjoy celebrating a win with our players and our coaches. Everyone has put in a lot of time and effort, and we know we have to continue to do that going forward.”
