Buddy Teevens (1956-2023), Part 1

Any words I use to describe Buddy Teevens wouldn't do the man justice. His impact on football will be felt for years to come, and his love of the game, his players and his school cannot be overstated.

This Reddit post sums up his life and impact perfectly.

This 1987 article from the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine looks at his goals when he first became the Big Green's head coach.

This incredible DAM article from 2018 discusses the challenges Teevens faced when he returned to Dartmouth in 2005 (ah, the infamous Furstenberg letter) and how be basically put his career on the line in 2010 when he abolished live tackling.

And your humble servant wrote this piece several months ago about Teevens' two years at Maine, which took a chance on a 28-year-old rookie head coach, and he responded by reviving a program that had been treading water.

Let's take a look at Buddy's teams and uniforms (some of which I've written about multiple times, so bear with me), at least the ones covered in the little ol' project. Part 1 will cover his playing days through his first coaching stint at Dartmouth. Part 2 will come eventually:

1977: Buddy Teevens first made his mark as a junior, when he came off the bench to lead the Big Green to a come-from-behind 17-13 win over Cornell at Memorial Field. (The game also marked the only time Dartmouth coach Jake Crouthamel faced his predecessor, Bob Blackman.)

This was the last year Dartmouth wore the jerseys with the big "D" on the sleeves and the slightly oversized numbers. Teevens wore No. 5 (and, considering his impact on the school and the game, perhaps Dartmouth should retire it?).

Buddy Teevens scrambles against Cornell in 1977.
From a 2005 Dartmouth Alumni Magazine article.

1978: Under first-year coach Joe Yukica, Teevens threw for nearly 1,400 yards, won the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League's player of the year, and guided Dartmouth to its first Ivy title in five years. Oh, and after the season he hit the ice and helped the men's hockey team reach the 1979 NCAA Frozen Four.

Under Yukica, Dartmouth eliminated the "D" from the jersey sleeves and added black trim.

Teevens and a teammate take a breather in 1978.
I miss mud and dirt and grass.

1982: In 1981 — just three years removed from his playing career — Teevens became offensive coordinator at Boston University. One year later, the Terriers reached the NCAA I-AA (now FCS) tournament despite a losing record overall, thanks to winning a share of the YC title and the league's automatic bid. BU coach Rick Taylor was an assistant at Dartmouth during Teevens' first two years in Hanover.

The BU helmets had "Boston" with a white stripe below it — not the last time a Teevens team used that design.

1985: At only 28 years old, Teevens was named head coach at Maine and guided the Black Bears to their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1963-65. Much of the talent Teevens recruited to Orono were part of Maine's NCAA I-AA tournament teams in 1987 and '89, after Teevens left for his alma mater.

Rookie coach Buddy Teevens guides Maine during 1985 
spring practice in this image from the team's media guide.
Notice the older "M" helmets in the background, which 
were eliminated when the regular season began.

Teevens overhauled the uniforms at Maine, dumping the boring Penn State look for home jerseys with Northwestern striping and names on the back, last used by the Bears in 1980. The road jerseys followed suit in 1986. The helmets had an arched "Maine" with a stripe below it. (Honestly, I was never a fan of them growing up, and I used to see them every weekend on TV or in the paper.)

Bobby Wilder (No. 7) was Teevens' quarterback and later became the first head coach at Old Dominion when that school revived its program.

1987: Teevens returned to Dartmouth after predecessor Joe Yukica's settled a contentious contract dispute with the school's administration. (Short story: Dartmouth fired Yukica with one year left on his contract, Yukica sued, he was eventually allowed to return for a lame-duck year in '86.) Having taken over for a lame-duck regime, Teevens didn't have much in the cupboard and the Big Green slid to their worst record since 1945. Dartmouth's only Ivy win was a 2-point nail-biter over Columbia, then in the midst of its 47-game winless streak.

A determined Buddy Teevens returns to Dartmouth in 1987.

As he had at Maine, Teevens overhauled the uniforms, dumping the iconic helmet with the "D" on the front introduced by Bob Blackman in 1965 (it returned in 1999). In its place was ... well, let this Dartmouth Alumni Magazine article from 1987 explain:

Two other visual changes that alumni are apt to notice involve the uniform. Teevens has eliminated all colors except for green and white. The helmet is also changed, with the "DARTMOUTH" logo underlined by speed stripes in order to give his team a faster, lighter look. "Image is a big thing to me," he says. "I want to put my best foot forward."

A three-stripe pattern was used on the helmet, jersey and pants, and the jerseys were essentially a green version of Maine's tops. '87 marked the first time Dartmouth wore names on the back.

No. 25 was wide receiver Craig Morton (no relation to the 1970s NFL QB), who went on to set Big Green career records for yards and yards per catch. He led the '87 team with 41 catches for 651 yards despite a separated shoulder.

1990: In year four under Teevens, Dartmouth returned to glory with its first Ivy title since 1982. The Big Green added another title in '91 before Teevens left to become head coach at Tulane.

No. 32 was running back Shonn Page, who ran for 1,087 yards and 11 TDs in 10 games.