Adam RittenbergESPN Senior Writer2 minutes of reading
Dartmouth football coach Eugene F. “Buddy” Teevens, who pioneered innovative methods to make the sport safer, died Tuesday of injuries sustained in a bicycle accident in March. He was 66.
Teevens, Dartmouth’s winningest coach, had two stints as head coach at his alma mater, going 117-101-2 with five Ivy League championships.
In March, he was hit by a truck while riding his bike in Florida. He suffered a spinal cord injury and his right leg had to be amputated.
Dartmouth announced in May that assistant Sammy McCorkle would serve as interim coach through the 2023 season. Teevens moved to Boston over the summer to continue his rehabilitation from the accident.
“Throughout this journey, we have consistently passed on the thoughts, memories and love that have been sent to him,” Teevens’ family said in a statement released through Dartmouth. “Your kindness and letters of encouragement did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by Buddy and our family. We are sure and happy that he passed away knowing how much he was loved and admired.”
McCorkle and athletic director Mike Harrity informed the team of Teevens’ death after Tuesday’s practice. Teevens oversaw the program from 2005, as well as from 1987 to 1991. He led Dartmouth to joint Ivy League championships in 1990, 2015, 2019 and 2021, and the outright title in 1991.
In 2010, he became the first coach to eliminate full-contact practices during the year, a method adopted by the Ivy League in 2016. Teevens’ efforts led the Dartmouth School of Engineering to create the Mobile Virtual Player, a robot-fighting device used by other high school. teams and in the NFL.
“His impact on both college football and the NFL has been tremendous,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said of Teevens during the 2023 NFL Draft. they’re coaching in the NFL.”
Teevens first became a head coach at Maine in 1986 and held two such FBS jobs, at Tulane and Stanford, where he went a combined 21-68.
He played quarterback at Dartmouth and was named the Ivy League Player of the Year in 1978 when the Big Green won the conference title. The Teevens also played hockey in college.
Dartmouth will hold a moment of silence for Teevens before this week’s home game against Lehigh.
“This is tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire soccer world,” Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock and Harrity said in a joint statement. “Buddy was not only synonymous with Dartmouth football, he was a beloved coach and an innovative, inspirational leader who helped shape the lives of generations of students.”
