Building on the Legacy of Buddy Teevens
Since this past May’s celebration of Buddy Teevens’s life at Memorial Field, there has been an outpouring of interest in ways to secure and grow his legacy. President Sian Leah Beilock established a committee to work with Buddy’s wife, Kirsten Teevens; Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation Mike Harrity; and Chief Health and Wellness Officer Estevan Garcia to identify a set of initiatives that would honor Teevens.
Program Initiatives
Opportunities to honor the legacy of Buddy Teevens ’79 on the field, across campus, and around the world.
Kirsten and Eugene F. “Buddy” Teevens ’79 Center for Peak Performance
The Teevens Center will offer programs to maximize mental and physical performance for all students and advance research and innovation that increase the competitiveness of Big Green varsity teams.
Kirsten and Eugene F. “Buddy” Teevens ’79 Scholarship Fund
The scholarship fund will honor Kirsten and Buddy Teevens for the culture of inclusivity they fostered, establishing an enduring connection between each selected scholar and the Teevens legacy.
Football Program Excellence
This suite of investments—including named coaching endowments, renovations to facilities, and other support for athletic excellence—will ensure the continued strength of Big Green football.
Dartmouth Peak Performance: A Differentiator for Dartmouth
For more than a decade, Dartmouth varsity athletes have participated in Dartmouth Peak Performance (DP2), a holistic approach to developing exceptional student-athletes and future leaders. DP2 programs encompass subjects such as leadership and mental performance, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, counseling and sport psychology, nutrition, and career development.
Dartmouth plans to extend elements of DP2 to all undergraduates through the Teevens Center while continuing to operate with its focus on students who participate in varsity athletics. This initiative will incorporate several successful components of the program—leadership development, nutrition, and mental wellness and performance—in workshops accessible to any undergraduate who chooses to participate. This will be an important element of Commitment to Care, Dartmouth’s comprehensive, institution-wide initiative to support the mental health of students.
The Teevens Scholars
Dartmouth is establishing an endowed scholarship fund to honor Buddy and Kirsten Teevens for the culture of inclusivity they fostered. Under Ivy League rules, there is no link between a student’s participation in varsity athletics and any need-based financial aid awarded by a member institution to a student-athlete. However, a robust need-based financial aid program is essential to the success of Dartmouth’s varsity athletics. Nearly 400 varsity athletes receive need-based financial aid each year, including approximately 80 members of the football team.
A $250,000 matching grant from a community member will double any gift, at any level, made to the scholarship fund by December 31, 2024.
Coaching and Facilities for Football Program Excellence
Under Teevens’s leadership, Dartmouth strengthened the football program in multiple ways over the past four decades. Additional investments through named coaching endowments, targeted renovations to facilities, and other philanthropic support for athletic excellence will ensure the continued strength of Big Green football.
Specific investments include:
- Offensive Coordinator Position
- Director of Football Recruitment Position
- Football Team Locker Room
- Floren Strength Training Center
- Floren 105 Smart Classroom
- Friends of Dartmouth Football
Send an email to Michael.V.Griesi@dartmouth.edu if you're interested in learning more about any of these initiatives.
