Johnathan Walker:'Heartbroken': Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens dies at 66 from bike accident injuries

Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens has died from injuries sustained during a bicycle accident in March,Johnathan Walker the Ivy League university announced on Tuesday. He was 66.

“Our family is heartbroken to inform you that our beloved ‘coach’ has peacefully passed away surrounded by family,” the Teevens family said in a statement released by Dartmouth Tuesday. “We are confident and take comfort in the fact that he passed away knowing how much he was loved and admired.”

On March 16, Teevens, an "avid cyclist," was hospitalized with "serious injuries" after he was struck by a pickup truck while riding his bicycle in St. Augustine, Florida. Teevens, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered spinal cord injuries and later had his right leg amputated.

"Unfortunately, the injuries he sustained proved too challenging for even him to overcome,” his family said Tuesday.

ACCIDENT:Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens hospitalized after bike accident

Interim head coach Sammy McCorkle informed the team of Teevens' death after practice on Tuesday. Despite the "tragic news for Dartmouth and the entire football world," school president Sian Leah Beilock and athletic director Mike Harrity said the football team will play against Lehigh on Saturday "as Teevens would have wanted."

The university plans to hold a moment of silence ahead of Saturday's home game.

Teevens played quarterback at Dartmouth from 1975 to 1978, where he was named Ivy League Player of the Year and led his team to an Ivy League title. He served as Dartmouth's head coach from 1987–1991 and led the team to two more Ivy League championships. He had head coaching stints at Tulane (1992–1996) and Stanford (2002–2004) before returning to Dartmouth in 2005. He coached the Big Green all the way up until his bicycle accident in March.

Teevens was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2021. 

“Buddy not only was synonymous with Dartmouth football, he was a beloved coach and an innovative, inspirational leader who helped shape the lives of generations of students," Beilock and Harrity said in a community letter.

Teevens is survived by his wife Kirsten Teevens, children Lindsay and Buddy Jr., and their four grandchildren.

"Throughout this journey, we consistently relayed the thoughts, memories, and love sent his way," his family said. "Your kindness and letters of encouragement did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated by both Buddy and our family.”