Buddy Teevens Award
Recognizing outstanding achievement on the field and exceptional leadership that leaves a lasting impact on players, coaches and the game of football at large
2025 Buddy Teevens Award winner: Kalani Sitake, BYU
Named For
Established by the Archie Manning family and named after legendary Dartmouth College football coach Buddy Teevens, the second-year award is presented by the Maxwell Football Club in conjunction with the National Football Foundation to recognize outstanding achievement on the field and exceptional leadership that leaves a lasting impact on players, coaches and the game of football at large.
The Teevens Award was established in 2024 by the Manning family to honor their long-time friendship with Coach Buddy Teevens, who passed away in 2023.
“Universally loved and admired, Buddy connected with everyone who crossed his path,” said Archie Manning. “He mentored thousands of players and assistant coaches during his 44 years on the sidelines, and his passion for the game led him to become an innovator and pioneer in making the game safer for future generations as well as hiring women in coaching positions. Buddy was a great coach but more than that he was just a great guy who wanted to make the game better for all.”
A head football coach for more than 30 years, including two stints at Dartmouth equaling 22 years in total, Teevens, launched his head coaching career at Maine from 1985-86. He landed the top job at his alma mater in 1987, beginning his first tour with the Big Green, which ran from 1987-91 and included a share of the Ivy League title in 1990 and the outright crown the following year. He left Hanover for the top jobs at Tulane (1992-1996) and Stanford (2002-04) with stops in between as an assistant at Illinois (1997-98) and Florida (1999-2001) under Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier.
He returned to head the Big Green program in 2005, leading the team to a share of the Ivy League crown in 2015, 2019, and 2021. While at Dartmouth, Teevens was honored as the New England Coach of the Year three times, in 1990, 2015, and 2019, and Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021. All told, he led Dartmouth to five conference titles and a 117-101-2 record, including 83-70-1 in the Ivy League, making him the Big Green’s all-time winningest coach.
