12:55 PM ET
Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens had his right leg amputated and suffered spinal cord injuries after his bicycle was hit by a pickup truck going 50 mph last month, his wife announced Tuesday night.
“We would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of love and support for Buddy,” his wife, Kirsten, said in a statement provided through the university. “It has been nothing short of amazing and we are so grateful. As Buddy navigates through the healing of his injuries, he is experiencing many positive improvements. Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, Buddy’s right leg was amputated due to the severity of the injury.”
Teevens, 66, was struck by a truck at 8:40 p.m. on March 20 while he and his wife were bicycling home from a restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report obtained by the Valley News of of Lebanon, New Hampshire.
According to the Valley News, the FHP report said Teevens, who was not wearing a helmet, was trying to cross state road A1A when he was struck at 50 mph by a truck driver. The report also stated that the bicycle had “no illuminated lights” and that the crash occurred “not in a crosswalk or designated crossing area.”
“He is alert and communicating with us and ready for transfer to a premier rehab facility to continue healing,” his wife added. “Spinal cord injuries are challenging, and if anybody is up for the challenge, it is Buddy. We appreciate your continued respect of our privacy as we navigate this ongoing recovery process as a family.”
Teevens, who played quarterback for Dartmouth and who has coached the program for 23 seasons over two stints, has a 117-101-2 record with the Big Green, including 3-7 last season. Over that span, he has won outright or shared five Ivy League conference titles.
After leaving Dartmouth in 1991, he had head-coaching jobs at Tulane and Stanford before returning to the Big Green in 2005. Teevens also has coached at Maine and has a career record of 151-178-2.
Teevens, an advocate for implementing measures to decrease head injuries in football, has had Dartmouth remove live tackling in practices since 2010 to reduce the risk of concussions. Known as the “Dartmouth Way,” traditional tackling dummies and robotic “moving” dummies developed in Dartmouth’s engineering school are used to practice tackling.
Associate head coach Sammy McCorkle, who coached the defensive secondary and special teams, had been named acting head coach for spring practice in Teevens’ absence. Spring practice concludes with the annual Green-White scrimmage on May 6.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
