Changing Faces in the Football Staff

Well, this is interesting.

The football staff has seen some changes over the last couple of days. First we had the program mutually parting ways with offensive coordinator Jim Pry. I’m curious to see where Buddy Teevens goes from here; whatever coach ends up as offensive coordinator is going to have a cupboard that is far from bare: he’ll have the one-two punch in the backfield of reigning co-Ivy Player of the Year Nick Schwieger ’12 and Dominick Pierre ’13 along with field general QB Conner Kempe ’12; he’ll also have last year’s two lead scoring threats through the air, receiver Michael Reilly ’12 and tight end John Gallagher ’12. This is an offense that any coordinator should salivate at. 

Coming in, however, is defensive line assistant Calvin Thibodeaux, a former All Big-12 defensive end for the Oklahoma Sooners. He spent last season coaching the defensive line at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX; the Bulldogs went 11-1, capturing the national championship for the National Junior College Athletic Assocation level. His linemen contributed to a defense that was ranked 12th nationally overall and 11th against the run in addition to recording 25 total sacks, including 7.5 by Toby Jackson, who was named an NJCAA All-American selection. Before coaching at Navarro, he had a stint with University of Houston, which broke a decades long bowl drought his first year on staff. This is a very good pickup for the program, but then again, what else is new? Buddy Teevens has proven again and again that he’s capable of bringing some of the best into Hanover, both in terms of players and in terms of coaches. As one player recently told me over dinner, the Dartmouth staff is the best in the Ivy League and Thibodeaux can only add to that fact.

Next year just keeps looking better and better for Indian football. Wah-hoo-wah!

— Sterling C. Beard