Football pioneer and Dartmouth legend Buddy Teevens died Tuesday, six months after suffering serious injuries in a bicycle accident, the school announced. He was 66 years old.
“Our family is heartbroken to announce that our beloved ‘Trainer’ passed away peacefully surrounded by his family. Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained proved too severe even for him to overcome,” the Teevens family said in a statement. “Throughout this journey we have always passed on the thoughts, memories and love that were sent his way. Your kindness and encouraging letters did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by both Buddy and our family.”
“We are hopeful and take comfort in the fact that he died knowing how much he was loved and admired.”
Teevens is survived by his wife Kirsten, their children Lindsay and Buddy Jr. and their four grandchildren. He had been an integral part of the Dartmouth community for most of his life, first as a productive player and then as head coach, serving two stints that spanned a total of nearly 25 years.
“This is tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire soccer world,” Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock and Athletic Director Mike Harrity said in an email to the school community. “Not only was Buddy synonymous with Dartmouth football, he was also a beloved coach and an innovative, inspirational leader who helped shape the lives of generations of students.”
Teevens was one of the most important pioneers in the history of the game, an advocate for player safety and a force for integration in the game. Teevens was the first college football coach to ban live tackling from practice, believing it was an important step in addressing head injuries and other injuries in a sport known for its violent collisions.
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Instead, Teevens opted for the Mobile Virtual Player, a remote-controlled tackling dummy – a concept he developed in spring 2011 with his former classmate John Currier. The robot was able to teach proper tackling technique without increasing the wear and tear football players traditionally endure. The practice — which his fellow coaches initially told him would cost him his job — has become increasingly widespread at both the collegiate and professional levels.
He later became the first college football coach to employ women on his full-time staff. Teevens also worked to identify and develop qualified candidates and participates in the NFL Women’s Careers in Football Forum at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis each year.
“Not many people have contributed more to the game than Buddy,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, also a friend of Teevens, told The Athletic in June. “It’s unique in that he had so many touches with the future of the game as well as the past.”
Teevens was critically injured in a bicycle accident on State Highway A1A in St. Augustine, Florida, on the evening of March 16. Teevens suffered spinal cord injuries and had his right leg amputated after being hit by a Ford F150. Kirsten said this summer that she and Buddy moved to Boston to continue his rehabilitation closer to family and friends.
Sammy McCorkle served as Dartmouth’s interim coach this season in Teevens’ absence. He and Harrity told the team about Teevens’ death after practice on Tuesday.
(Photo: Andy Lewis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)