Buddy Teevens, long-time head coach at Dartmouth and a staunch advocate for player safety, has died. He was 66.
The University announced his passing on Tuesday night.
Teeven suffered serious injuries in a bicycle accident in March. He was struck by a pickup truck while riding in Florida.
“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.”
Coach Teevens became well known for developing techniques to reduce concussions. He stopped all tackling in practice 12 years ago, once the risks of brain trauma became undeniable.
“Either we change the way we coach the game, or we’re not gonna have a game to coach,” he said.
In 2013, Teevens began developing the Mobile Virtual Player, a robotic tackling dummy. By 2016, the device for training players to tackle moving targets while minimizing injury risk became operational.
Coach Teevens also was a pioneer in giving women coaching opportunities in football.
Commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged Teevens at the 2023 draft.
“His impact both on college football and the NFL has been enormous,” Goodell said at the time. “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.”
Through 23 seasons, Teevens was the most successful coach in school history, with a 117-101-2 record. He served as head coach at Dartmouth from 1987 through 1991 before working as an assistant at Illinois and Florida. He was the head coach at Stanford from 2002 through 2004. He returned to Dartmouth in 2005.
A former quarterback, Teevens was the Ivy League player of the year in 1978, as Dartmouth won the Ivy League title. He also played hockey on a Dartmouth team that finished third in the nation in 1979.
The players on all eight Ivy League teams will wear a helmet decal this season in honor of Teevens.
Coach Teevens is survived by his wife, Kirsten, a son, a daughter, and four grandchildren. We extend our condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, players, and the Dartmouth community.
