Teevens Named AFCA Region I Coach of the Year

HANOVER, N.H. — The American Football Coaches Association announced its regional coaches of the year at the FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA levels today, and Buddy Teevens, the Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach at Dartmouth, was selected as the FCS Region I Coach of the Year for the second time in the past five seasons.

Teevens, who has already earned Coach of the Year honors from the Ivy League and the New England Football Writers Association, is also one of 15 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award given to the top head coach in the FCS. In his 20th season at the helm, he led the Big Green to an Ivy-record 19th conference crown this fall with a 6-1 record in the circuit and 9-1 overall. The final win of the season, a 29-23, come-from-behind victory at Brown, not only gave Dartmouth a share of the title, but also gave Teevens his 105th win at Dartmouth, breaking the record held by Bob Blackman (1955-70).

Under Teevens' guidance, Dartmouth finished the year ranked 20th in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and 21st in the STATS poll, the second straight year the team was ranked in the top 25. The Big Green are also currently among the top 10 in a number of statistical categories, including scoring defense (2nd, 12.4 points per game), red zone defense (2nd, 62.5 percent), completion percentage (2nd, 68.1), fewest penalty yards per game (2nd, 31.1), team passing efficiency (3rd, 173.08), third-down conversion percentage (3rd, 52.1), defensive touchdowns (4th, 5), team passing efficiency defense (6th, 112.78) and punt returns (6th, 16.4 yards per return).

Dartmouth began the season by winning its first six games by at least 29 points each, one of which was a 42-10 romp over Yale, the Bulldogs' only loss of the season. The Big Green improved to 7-0 in a thrilling, 9-6 triumph at Harvard that concluded on a 43-yard Hail Mary pass that grabbed national attention. The following week, Dartmouth won a clash between undefeated teams when it beat ninth-ranked Princeton, 27-10, at Yankee Stadium.

Over the last six seasons, Teevens has guided Dartmouth to a record of 47-13 overall and 30-12 in the Ancient Eight, both the top marks in the conference.

The last time Teevens was honored with this award from the AFCA was 2015 when he also led the Big Green to a conference crown with an identical 9-1 overall record and 6-1 mark in the league.

The winners are selected by active members of the AFCA who vote for coaches in their respective regions and divisions. The winners will be honored at the American Football Coaches Awards on Tuesday, Jan. 14, during the 2020 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, at which time the 2019 National Coaches of the Year winners in FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA will be announced from the regional winners.

Notes: This is the ninth time a Dartmouth head coach has been chosen for this honor — Bob Blackman four times (1962, '65, '69 and '70), Jake Crouthamel (1973), Joe Yukica (1978) and John Lyons (1996) along with Teevens (2015, '19).

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