The "new era of Dartmouth football" has officially started with Coach Eugene "Buddy" Teevens '79 at the helm.
At the Hanover Inn on Wednesday afternoon, President James Wright and Athletic Director Josie Harper enthusiastically introduced the new coach.
Coach Teevens spoke to the crowd of bringing a "passion for winning" and expectations of an Ivy League title as soon as next year.
Teevens stated that his football players would have to excel in three facets of Dartmouth life: academics, community participation, and football. Though the Big Green's newest head coach plans on winning "as quickly as possible," he said he will not allow his team to forget that they are both students and members of their community.
The new coach also responded to questions of what brought him back to Hanover for a third time after stints as both student and coach.
On his trip to Dartmouth, Teevens said he was impressed with the administration's dedication to a winning football team. He mentioned meeting with the recently-criticized Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg, assuring the crowd that Furstenberg offered nothing but support for the coach's hopes of resurrecting the Big Green.
In addition, Teevens spoke of the many alumni who have encouraged his return to Hanover, especially Jeffrey Immelt '78, the chief executive officer of General Electric and last year's Commencement speaker, and Murry Bowden '71, who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame earlier this summer.
Current football players roundly endorsed the new coach.
"The athletic department could not have found a better candidate for the head coaching position considering Coach Teevens's prior coaching experiences and past affiliation with the school," quarterback Charlie Rittgers '06 told The Dartmouth. "Because Coach Teevens has previously coached football and played football for Dartmouth, he is already part of the Dartmouth community."
Looking ahead, Teevens will face the imposing job of rebuilding the College's football program. Between finalizing his coaching staff and replacing outgoing '05s, the coach will likely miss a little sleep this off-season. It also wouldn't hurt to get to know Chad Gaudet '08 and Ray Rochester '07. The two young running backs, along with Rittgers, could prove to be a dynamic punch on offense, though Teevens added that no one has been guaranteed a starting job.
"During the spring, we do not have to run a scout team for upcoming games," Rittgers said. "Everyone on the team can compete for starting positions. Everyone will start with a clean slate under the new head coach."
While former coach Jim Lyons was well liked among his players, there is no denying that Teevens's hiring has reinvigorated the Dartmouth football program.
As Rittgers so eloquently put it: "The team respects Lyons but is very excited to play for Coach Teevens."
