HANOVER, N.H. — Sammy McCorkle will serve as Dartmouth‘s interim football coach for the 2023 football season while Buddy Teevens recovers from a bicycle accident that resulted in the amputation of his right leg.
McCorkle was elevated from associate head coach to acting head coach on April 4 for spring practices.
“Sammy has done a remarkable job leading the team during this challenging time,” athletic director Mike Harrity said Tuesday. “He has kept everyone within the program focused and purposeful as we prepare to compete for another Ivy League title this fall and make Buddy proud.”
McCorkle has worked under Teevens for 18 years, coaching the defensive backs and special teams.
Teevens, 66, and his wife, Kirsten, were riding their bicycles in the St. Augustine, Florida, area when he was struck by a pickup on March 16. Teevens was trying to cross a highway when he was struck.
Teevens is Dartmouth’s all-time wins leader with a 117-101-2 record in 23 seasons.
“I appreciate the confidence and the support from Mike and the senior administration,” McCorkle said. “At the start of the spring, I made a promise to Coach T and Kirsten that I would give 100 percent every single day to this football program.”
Dartmouth’s football program has drawn national attention since Teevens in 2010 removed live tackling in practices to reduce the risk of concussions.
Known as the “Dartmouth Way,” traditional tackling dummies and robotic “moving” dummies developed in Dartmouth’s engineering school are used to practice tackling.