Football coach has his leg amputated after bike accident

Dartmouth titan in long recovery

‘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.’

Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens, a nationally known advocate for implementing measures to decrease head injuries in football, had his right leg amputated following a bicycle accident last month in Florida.

Teevens and his wife, Kirsten, were riding on a road in the St. Augustine area when he was struck by a pickup March 16. Kirsten Teevens on Tuesday announced her husband underwent the amputation.

“As Buddy navigates through the healing of his injuries, he is experiencing many positive improvements,” Kirsten Teevens said.

“Unfortunately, as a result of the accident, Buddy’s right leg was amputated due to the severity of the injury. He is alert and communicating with us and ready for transfer to a premier rehab facility to continue healing.

“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.”

The Florida Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for a crash report. Kirsten Teevens’s did not say whether her husband remains in Florida, and a Dartmouth spokesman said he had no information beyond Kirsten Teevens’s statement.

The Valley News newspaper of Lebanon, N.H., reported on March 22 that the 66-year-old Teevens was trying to cross a highway when he was hit by the pickup at 8:40 p.m., according to a preliminary crash report.

The report noted there were “no illuminated lights” observed on the bicycle, that Teevens “was not in a crosswalk or designated crossing area,” and that he was not wearing a helmet.

Teevens is Dartmouth’s alltime wins leader with a 117101-2 record in 23 seasons. He coached the Big Green from 1987-1991 and returned in 2005.

His teams have won or shared five Ivy League championships.

Teevens was head coach at Stanford from 2002-04 and at Tulane from 1992-96.

‘‘I have known Coach since I was 12 years old when I attended Tulane football camp,’’ former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning tweeted after the accident. ‘‘There is not a better man.’’

Associate head coach Sammy McCorkle has been serving as Dartmouth’s acting head coach.

Dartmouth’s football program has drawn national attention since Teevens in 2010 removed live tackling in practices 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.

Teevens famously tells recruits that they’ll never tackle a Dartmouth player or be tackled by a teammate during their time at the school.

STATEMENT FROM BUDDY TEEVENS’S WIFE, KIRSTEN