In the wake of Dartmouth football's disappointing season and the departure of head coach John Lyons, former Big Green quarterback and head coach Buddy Teevens '79 has returned to rebuild a program that once ruled the Ivy League. Winning, however, is not Teevens' only goal.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Teevens' explained that his plans for the football program extend well beyond the sidelines. Regardless of the team's record, the coach hopes to draw from his own experience as a Dartmouth football player to further integrate his team into the Hanover community and improve the Dartmouth experience for his players.
Academic goals will have a significant role in Teevens' program. "We want guys to meet their own potentials," Teevens said. While he plans to set GPA goals for the team, there will not be individual requirements. "We just want them to do the best they possibly can."
Previous academic football efforts have not satisfied the administration. However, Teevens denied that Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenburg's now infamous private letter to Alfred Bloom, President of Swarthmore, affected the Dean's non-football policies for the program. Teevens's own policies will reflect his staff's "belief that [football players] are members of the College community," Teevens said.
The professional track record Teevens has accumulated lends credence to his plan to build a program around more than wins and losses. When his time at Tulane was clearly drawing to a close, Teevens reportedly declined to resign his post, explaining that he did not want his players to think that he had given up on them.
Broadening the horizons of the football team ranks quite high in Teevens' plans. Teevens himself was disappointed that he had not taken fuller advantage of the unique opportunities the College offers undergraduates during his tenure as a student. Teevens emphasized the outdoor opportunities that Hanover provides and said that the coaching staff will encourage players to capitalize on an environment that they may never again have the chance to enjoy.
Teevens seems particularly focused on his team's interaction with the rest of the College. "I don't want that separate identity for the team," he said. He mentioned that the team is extracurricularly involved in the College and the Upper Valley, but that he hopes that with his staff's encouragement, his student-athletes will become involved in enjoyable activities that they might otherwise have passed over.
Regardless of academic or football success, Teevens maintains that the Dartmouth football program will remain committed to encouraging "intellectual growth" in addition to athletic excellence.
