Buddy Teevens

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Buddy Teevens
Teevens in 2017
Biographical details
Born(1956-10-01)October 1, 1956
Pembroke, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedSeptember 19, 2023(2023-09-19) (aged 66)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Playing career
1975–1978Dartmouth
Position(s)Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1980DePauw (RB)
1981–1984Boston University (OC)
1985–1986Maine
1987–1991Dartmouth
1992–1996Tulane
1997–1998Illinois (OC/WR)
1999Florida (RB)
2000Florida (QB/WR/TE/ST)
2001Florida (asst. OC/TE)
2002–2004Stanford
2005–2022Dartmouth
Head coaching record
Overall151–178–2
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
5 Ivy League (1990, 1991, 2015, 2019, 2021)

Eugene Francis "Buddy" Teevens III (October 1, 1956 – September 19, 2023) was an American college football player and coach. He played as a quarterback at Dartmouth College, where he was later the head coach from 1987 to 1991 and from 2005 until his death. He also served as the head football coach at the University of Maine (1985–1986), Tulane University (1992–1996), and Stanford University (2002–2004). During his coaching career, Teevens was known for his support and efforts towards making the sport safer.

Early life[edit]

Born in Pembroke, Massachusetts, Teevens attended Silver Lake Regional High School in Kingston, Massachusetts and Deerfield Academy.[1] He attended college at Dartmouth, and played quarterback there from 1975 to 1978.[2] He was a backup for then quarterback Kevin Case, who won the Dartmouth MVP in 1976. He was the quarterback of the Big Green team that won the Ivy League football title in 1978.[2] He was an honorable mention All-America that same year.[2]

Teevens also played hockey while at Dartmouth; in Teevens' senior year, the hockey team finished third in the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.[2] He graduated from Dartmouth in 1979 with an A.B. in history.[2] Teevens was also a member of the Sphinx Senior Society while at Dartmouth.[3]

Coaching career[edit]

Early positions[edit]

Teevens' first coaching job was as running backs coach at DePauw University from 1979 to 1980.[2] He was then offensive coordinator at Boston University from 1981 to 1984.[2]

From 1985 to 1986, he was the head coach at the University of Maine.[2] He had an overall record of 13–9 there.[2]

Dartmouth[edit]

Teevens' first stint with the Big Green, from 1987 to 1991, showed an upward trend.[2] Beginning with a 2–8 record, Dartmouth then had successive years of 5–5 and 7–2–1.[2] In 1990 and 1991, Dartmouth won the Ivy League championship.[2]

Tulane[edit]

After his first head coaching job at Dartmouth, Teevens was the coach at Tulane University from 1992 to 1996.[2] While he had an overall record of 11–45 in five years at Tulane, he recruited many of the players on the 1998 team that went 12–0.[2]

Return to assistant coaching[edit]

Between 1997 and 1998, Teevens was the offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for head coach Ron Turner.[2]

In 1999, Teevens was the running backs coach at the University of Florida.[2] The next year, he coached the passing game, wide receivers, tight ends, placekickers, long snappers, and holders.[2] He coached tight ends in 2001 along with being the assistant offensive coordinator.[2] In his three years at Florida, he coached under Steve Spurrier.[2]

Stanford[edit]

Teevens coached at Stanford University from 2002 to 2004.[2] In his three years with the Cardinal, his teams posted a 10–23 record,[2] beat BYU twice and San Jose State three times.[4] However, Stanford failed to improve much during his tenure. Teevens went winless against rivals USC, Cal, and Notre Dame, and never posted a win against a team that finished the season with a winning record.[4] Teevens was fired on November 29, 2004.[5] The Associated Press wrote that Teevens was "respected for his class and loyalty" and that he even appeared at the official announcement of his firing.[6]

Return to Dartmouth[edit]

Teevens was re-hired as Dartmouth's head coach on January 5, 2005,[7] and in the 2005 season, the Big Green posted a 2–8 record.[2] The 2008 team went 0–10, the first winless season in Dartmouth history. As of the end of 2009, Teevens had an overall record of 35–63–2 as the head coach at Dartmouth.[2] However, in the 2010 season, Dartmouth seemed to turn the corner under Teevens, posting a 6–4 record, its best record in 13 years. In the 2014 season, the team was 6–1 in the Ivy League, losing only to Harvard, behind whom it finished in second place. In 2019, he became the winningest coach in Dartmouth football history.[8]

Teevens won five Ivy League titles with Dartmouth, second most in team history next to Bob Blackman, who won seven with Dartmouth.[citation needed]

Safety in football training[edit]

Teevens was known nationally for his support and efforts towards making the sport safer, having worked to reduce full-contact practices by emphasizing technique, eventually leading to Dartmouth's engineering school developing the "Mobile Virtual Player" (MVP), a robotic tackling dummy eventually becoming used by other colleges and NFL teams.[9][10]

Personal life[edit]

Teevens and his wife, Kirsten, have two children together: Lindsay, who graduated from the University of Florida in 2008, and Eugene IV, who attended Coastal Carolina University.[2] He had four grandchildren.[11]

Death[edit]

On March 16, 2023, Teevens was hit by a Ford F-150 truck in St. Augustine, Florida, while riding his bicycle.[12] Teevens' spinal cord was injured and he lost his right leg.[12] Teevens died on September 19, 2023, from the injuries he sustained in the accident. He was 66.[13]

Head coaching record[edit]

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Maine Black Bears (Yankee Conference) (1985–1986)
1985 Maine 6–5 2–3 T–3rd
1986 Maine 7–4 3–4 T–5th
Maine: 13–9
Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League) (1987–1991)
1987 Dartmouth 2–8 1–6 7th
1988 Dartmouth 5–5 4–3 T–3rd
1989 Dartmouth 5–5 4–3 4th
1990 Dartmouth 7–2–1 6–1 1st
1991 Dartmouth 7–2–1 6–0–1 1st
Tulane Green Wave (NCAA Division I-A independent) (1992–1995)
1992 Tulane 2–9
1993 Tulane 4–8
1994 Tulane 1–10
1995 Tulane 2–9
Tulane Green Wave (Conference USA) (1996)
1996 Tulane 2–9 1–4 6th
Tulane: 11–45 1–4
Stanford Cardinal (Pacific-10 Conference) (2002–2004)
2002 Stanford 2–9 1–7 T–9th
2003 Stanford 4–7 2–6 T–8th
2004 Stanford 4–7 2–6 T–8th
Stanford: 10–23 5–19
Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League) (2005–2022)
2005 Dartmouth 2–8 1–6 7th
2006 Dartmouth 2–8 2–5 T–6th
2007 Dartmouth 3–7 3–4 T–4th
2008 Dartmouth 0–10 0–7 8th
2009 Dartmouth 2–8 2–5 T–6th
2010 Dartmouth 6–4 3–4 5th
2011 Dartmouth 5–5 4–3 T–2nd
2012 Dartmouth 6–4 4–3 T–3rd
2013 Dartmouth 6–4 5–2 3rd
2014 Dartmouth 8–2 6–1 2nd
2015 Dartmouth 9–1 6–1 T–1st
2016 Dartmouth 4–6 1–6 8th
2017 Dartmouth 8–2 5–2 T–2nd
2018 Dartmouth 9–1 6–1 2nd
2019 Dartmouth 9–1 6–1 T–1st
2021 Dartmouth 9–1 6–1 T–1st
2022 Dartmouth 3–7 2–5 T–6th
Dartmouth: 117–101–2 83–70–1
Total: 151–178–2
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

[citation needed]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Gator Football 2001 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Florida Athletics. p. 100. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Buddy Teevens Bio - DartmouthSports.com". Dartmouth Varsity Sports. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  3. ^ "Eugene Francis "Buddy" Teevens III '79". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Eugene "Buddy" Teevens All-Time Coaching Records by Opponent". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  5. ^ "Stanford Ends Buddy Teevens' Tenure as Head Football Coach". Stanford University Athletics. November 29, 2004. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Coach won 10 games in three losing camapigns". Associated Press. November 29, 2004.
  7. ^ "Teevens Named Dartmouth Football Coach - DartmouthSports.com". Dartmouth Varsity Sports. January 5, 2005.
  8. ^ "Iconic Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens has passed" FootballScoop. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  9. ^ "Dartmouth coach dies 6 months after being hit by truck while cycling". News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF). 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  10. ^ "Buddy Teevens, Dartmouth football coach, dies 6 months after being hit by pickup while cycling". CBS News. 2023-09-20. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  11. ^ "Eugene Francis "Buddy" Teevens III '79". Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b Miller, Nicole Auerbach and Brody. "An Ivy League football pioneer's absence looms large, but 'you can't hold Buddy Teevens back'". The Athletic. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Dartmouth Announces Death of Buddy Teevens '79". home.dartmouth.edu. Dartmouth College. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.

External links[edit]