Weeks after it was announced that Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens sustained “serious” injuries in a crash while riding a bicycle, his wife revealed on Tuesday that he lost a leg and sustained spinal cord damage in the collision.
Kirsten Teevens made the announcement in a statement shared by Dartmouth.
“We would like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of love and support for Buddy,” the statement reads. “It has been nothing short of amazing and we are so grateful. As Buddy navigates through the healing of his injuries, he is experiencing many positive improvements. 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 statement didn’t clarify the nature of the spinal injury nor Teevens’ prognosis.
Teevens, 66, was injured while he and Kirstin were bicycling home from a restaurant on March 16 in St. Augustine, Florida. Per a police report obtained by the Valley News, a pickup truck struck Teevens around 8:40 p.m. as he was attempting to cross a thoroughfare near the Atlantic coast.
Per the report, “no illuminated lights were observed on the bicycle,” and Teevens “was not in a crosswalk or designated crossing area.” He wasn’t wearing a helmet. The report noted that the was in critical condition but did not reveal the extent of his injuries. He was transported to a hospital near Jacksonville.
Dartmouth declined at the time to provide an update on his health status and instead deferred to Kirsten to do so. Kirstin released a statement at the time that he had sustained “serious” injuries.
“He has sustained serious injuries and is currently hospitalized,” Kirsten wrote in a statement at the time. “He is a healthy man and hopefully he will have a full recovery. We are very appreciative of all the support and the outpouring of love.”
Dartmouth noted on Wednesday that all further updates on Teevens’ health will come from his family.
Teevens played quarterback for Dartmouth from 1976-78. He’s coached two stints at Dartmouth from 1987-91 and 2005-present. He’s the school’s all-time winningest head coach with a 117-101-2 record. He’s also coached at Tulane, Stanford and Maine. He’s a two-time Ivy League Coach of the Year.
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