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Silver Lake community can’t wait for ESPN’s Buddy Teevens documentary
The South Shore long has been a breeding ground for folks who went on to hit it big in the world of sports.
Jim Craig played goalie at Oliver Ames High in Easton before backstopping the 1980 U.S. Olympic team’s “Miracle on Ice,” and NHL stars Charlie Coyle (Weymouth), Rod Langway (Randolph), Tony Amonte (Hingham) and Jeremy Roenick (Marshfield), to name just a few more, were local rink rats back in the day.
Ally Sentnor (Hanson) and Lilly Reale (Hingham) are following in the women’s soccer footsteps of the Mewis sisters (Sam and Kristie) from Hanson. Golfer Megan Khang (Rockland) has earned more than $6.5 million on the LPGA Tour, and Kelly Amonte Hiller (Hingham) coaches an NCAA women’s lacrosse dynasty at Northwestern.
And Brockton is famous for producing legendary boxers Rocky Marciano and “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler as well as maverick NFL coach/owner Al Davis.
Buddy Teevens’ name might not ring the same bell. But an upcoming ESPN documentary on the former college football coach should give his profile a much-deserved boost.
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Executive produced by Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, “The Buddy Way” will premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2 and then will be available to stream on ESPN+. The feature-length documentary will showcase Teevens’ impact on football — both on the field, where he coached Dartmouth (his alma mater) to five Ivy League titles, and off the field, where he advocated for female coaches and for increased awareness of player safety.
Teevens, who grew up in Pembroke and graduated from Silver Lake Regional High in 1974, died in March of 2023 at age 66, six months after being hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in Florida.
The Teevens documentary will be must-see TV around Silver Lake, where Rick Swanson has been promoting Teevens’ legacy since becoming the school’s athletic director over the summer.
“It’s amazing to me how Buddy, as influential as he was, has kind of slipped under the radar for many people,” Swanson said. “Even the approach of this documentary has come as a surprise to plenty of people in the community. And here’s somebody that really ought to be a household name, especially here at Silver Lake and in all of our towns. He’s really a giant part of our school’s athletic history. We could not ask for a better role model or a better figure to personify what our school values, what our athletic department values.
“I’m thrilled that this documentary is going to bring him to a wider audience. I think it’s going to be very clear that here’s a person who devoted his whole life not only to athletics but to making a profound impact in the lives of student-athletes and improving the world in lots of different ways.”
For years, Teevens was an integral part of the famed Manning Passing Academy, run by former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and his more-famous QB sons, Peyton, Eli and Cooper (dad of current University of Texas QB Arch Manning). That’s how Peyton Manning came to be involved with the documentary.
“We are honored to share Buddy’s story and preserve his legacy,” Peyton Manning said in a statement announcing the release of the film. “Buddy’s motto as a coach and leader was ‘adjust and improvise.’ But it was more than a motto; Buddy was a true football innovator. He hired female coaches in the college ranks before anybody else, and he emphasized smarter and safer tackling long before the practice was adopted across the sport. Buddy was a terrific coach, but the legacy Buddy leaves behind extends well beyond his success on the field.”
At Silver Lake, Teevens starred in football, ice hockey and baseball and was a no-brainer pick for inclusion in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Teevens, a lifelong friend of Silver Lake classmate Tim Murphy, who coached Harvard football from 1994-2023, went on to play both football and hockey at Dartmouth. He eventually spent 32 seasons as a college football head coach, including two stints at Dartmouth, where he went a combined 117-101-2 and won three Ivy League titles over his last seven seasons.
While with the Big Green, Teevens hired at least two female coaches who went on to coach in the NFL — Callie Brownson (Browns) and Jennifer King (Commanders, Bears). He also went against the grain by eliminating full-contact practices to save wear and tear on his players, famously telling Congress during a hearing on concussions in youth sports in 2016: “I love football. But I love my players more.” Eventually, he collaborated with Dartmouth’s engineering school on a robotic tackling dummy, known as the “Mobile Virtual Player” (MVP), that became used by other colleges and NFL teams.
Swanson highlighted Teevens’ accomplishments in his addresses to Silver Lake’s fall and winter athletes. This fall the Silver Lake football players wore helmet stickers with Teevens’ initials; the boys hockey team and baseball team are planning similar tributes.
“It’s very important” to remember him, said Silver Lake football coach Mark Killinger. “One of the values we talk about within our own program is the importance of family — how even when seniors graduate they’re still part of the culture that we’re building. So to look at someone (like Teevens) who played at Sirrico Field and wore that jersey and wore that helmet (and then went on to make such an impact), that will resonate with our kids.”
Swanson also told the Silver Lake athletes about a 2023 guest column in the Dartmouth alumni magazine titled “Dear Coach” in which Dartmouth long snapper Josh Greene tried to articulate the many ways that Teevens impacted the lives of his players. It includes the line, “Nobody made it less about themself than you.”
“He was like a real-life Ted Lasso combined with the coach from ‘Friday Night Lights,’” Swanson said of Teevens. “He was like a real-life Hollywood or television version of what a great coach looks like and acts like and the impact they can have on their players. We’re just so proud at Silver Lake to have been part of his journey.”
The Silver Lake community is buzzing with excitement as they eagerly anticipate the release of ESPN’s upcoming documentary on Buddy Teevens, the beloved football coach who has made a lasting impact on the town.
Teevens, who has been coaching at the local high school for over 20 years, is not only known for his impressive record on the field, but also for his dedication to his players and the community as a whole. His coaching philosophy, which emphasizes teamwork, discipline, and respect, has helped shape countless young athletes into confident and successful individuals.
The documentary promises to provide an intimate look into Teevens’ life, his coaching style, and the profound influence he has had on the Silver Lake community. Residents are eagerly counting down the days until its release, eager to celebrate their beloved coach and the positive impact he has had on their lives.
Stay tuned for updates on the documentary’s release date and be sure to tune in to witness the inspiring story of Buddy Teevens and the Silver Lake community.
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Silver Lake community, ESPN, Buddy Teevens, documentary, football, Dartmouth College, community pride, sports history, inspirational story
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