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In the northeastern region of the United States reside some of the most distinguished academic institutions in the world. Aside from the elite research capabilities they possess, these schools have been responsible for producing prominent figures and important leaders throughout our nation's history. These universities belong to the Ivy League.
The Ivy League is a conference of eight schools that have been playing intercollegiate football for more than 150 years. These programs have a rich college football history, dating back to the origins of our sport. Ivy League history and college football history were synonymous in the early years of the game.
Over the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at all eight Ivy League teams. We will dive deep into each school's traditions and memorable seasons, as well as notable players and coaches from their past. We will also look back at 2023 results and preview the 2024 season.
Dartmouth College Big Green, Hanover, N.H.
Seated on the edge of the Connecticut River and bordering Vermont, Dartmouth College is one of the oldest schools in America. Dartmouth was one of only nine colleges chartered in the United States before the start of the Revolutionary War. The college was established in 1769 with the goal of providing education to Native Americans. It was founded by the Reverend Eleazer Wheelock and named after William Legge, the British earl of Dartmouth.
Dartmouth has the sixth all-time winningest program in the FCS and has won a record 21 Ivy League Championships. The Big Green play their home games at Memorial Field, an 11,000-capacity stadium situated off Crosby Street and Lebanon Street in the homely town of Hanover, N.H., in an area known as the Upper Valley.
Dartmouth's first football stadium was a wooden grandstand known as the Alumni Oval, which opened in 1893 and was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s. In 1923, Memorial Field was built to honor alumni and students who had fought and died in World War I. Along with hilltop views, the greenery and brick-laden buildings surrounding Memorial Field make it one of the better-looking venues in the Ivy League.
Buddy Teevens
The Big Green lost a legend this past season: In March of 2023, long-time head coach Buddy Teevens was in Florida riding his bicycle when he was involved in an accident. Teevens suffered damage to his spinal cord and had to have his right leg amputated. Unfortunately, Teevens later succumbed to those injuries in September 2023. He passed at the age of 66.
Teevens was Big Green through and through. He played quarterback at Dartmouth from 1975 to 1978, when he was named honorable mention All-America and won an Ivy League Championship. He was also a member of the Big Green hockey team. In 1987, Teevens was hired as the head coach for his alma mater. He remained in Hanover until 1991, turning around the Big Green program and winning two Ivy League titles in five years. He was hired away to Tulane in 1992, where he struggled; Teevens' Green Wave teams finished 11-45 in his five years at the helm. He was fired after the 1996 season when Tulane hired Tommy Bowden.
After spending the next five seasons as an assistant at Illinois and Florida, Teevens took over as head coach at Stanford. He went 10-23 in three seasons with the Cardinal and was fired in 2004. In 2005, he came back to Dartmouth for good. The Big Green flourished in his second stint, but it took some time. Dartmouth failed to post a winning record for five seasons and even went winless in 2008. From 2010 to 2021, however, the Big Green would become one of the most consistent teams in the Ivy League, winning a share of the conference title three times and suffering only one losing season.
Sammy McCorkle
Leading the Big Green onto the field in 2024 will be Sammy McCorkle, who is entering his second season as the head coach. McCorkle took over in an interim status last year after Teevens' accident, leading Dartmouth to a 6-4 season and a share of the Ivy League title. McCorkle has been at Dartmouth for 19 years, accompanying Teevens upon his return to the Big Green in 2005.
Before arriving in Hanover, McCorkle was the head coach at Martin County High School in Florida for two seasons He coached defensive backs and spent time as defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee-Martin from 2000 to 2002. McCorkle was a graduate assistant at Florida from 1997 to 1999, when Teevens was running back's coach for the Gators. McCorkle played defensive back at Florida, winning a national championship in 1996.
History
The Big Green football program began in 1881, the same year that the United States had three different presidents. Since then, tradition and excellence are fitting words used to describe Dartmouth's football history. Prior to joining the Ivy League, Dartmouth won eight titles in the Triangular Football League from 1887-1898 where they played the likes of Amherst and MIT. Speaking of Amherst, Dartmouth defeated them 1-0 in the Big Green's inaugural game in 1881.
From the turn of the 20th century until World War II, Dartmouth was dominant on the gridiron, posting higher than a .720 winning percentage. In 1925, Dartmouth claimed the school's only football national championship after posting an 8-0 record. Legendary coach Earl Blaik was the head man for the Big Green from 1934 to 1940 when he went 45-15-4 before leaving in 1941 for West Point.
The Big Green have had several legendary coaches in their history, including Blaik and Teevens. From 1955 to 1970, Robert Blackman was at the helm of the Big Green. He posted a 104-37-3 record, placing him second behind only Teevens in career wins at Dartmouth. In 1970, Blackman's team went 9-0 and finished the season ranked 14th in the AP Poll.
Notable Alumni
The best football player to ever come out of Dartmouth is Reggie Williams, a linebacker for the Big Green from 1973 to 1975. Williams was a third-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1976. He played 14 seasons for the Bengals and competed in two Super Bowls. During his career with the Bengals, Williams compiled 63 sacks, 16 interceptions, 23 fumble recoveries and scored 3 touchdowns. Williams was named NFL Man of the Year in 1986 and is in the Bengals Ring of Honor.
At Dartmouth, Williams was a three-time All-Ivy League selection and Ivy League champion wrestler in the heavyweight division. Teevens, who was the scout team QB as a freshman, called Williams one of the best football players he ever saw. In addition to three consecutive All-Ivy selections, Williams was a first-team All-American in his final season. He was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Another Big Green great who had an extensive NFL career was QB Jay Fiedler. He played for Dartmouth from 1991 to 1994. Fiedler was chosen as either first- or second-team All-Ivy each season at Dartmouth, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year in his freshman campaign. Fiedler set conference and school records for passing yards, total offense and touchdown passes.
Fiedler signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1994. He bounced around for several years with the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars before settling in as a starter with the Miami Dolphins, replacing NFL legend Dan Marino in 2000. He was the Dolphins starting signal-caller for the next four seasons, posting double-digit wins three times. With Fielder at the helm, the Dolphins won the AFC East title and a playoff game in 2000. Fiedler also spent time with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before leaving the NFL in 2006.
Other notable players include former All-American linebacker Murry Bowden, former Dolphins full back Casey Cramer and College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Cavanaugh.
Rivalries
Dartmouth's rivalry with Harvard is one of the oldest rivalries in college football. The teams have played 126 times; the first matchup was in 1882, a game Harvard won 53-0. Dartmouth lost the first 18 games against the Crimson, finally breaking through with an 11-0 win in 1903. Harvard has a commanding lead in the overall series and has won the last two meetings. Since 1997, Dartmouth has only four wins in the series.
Dartmouth's other annual rivalry is with Cornell. The Big Green and the Big Red have clashed on the gridiron 106 times, first meeting in 1900. Dartmouth owns the overall series lead by more than 20 games. The teams have split the last four matchups, with the Big Green coming away with a 30-14 home victory last year.
The Big Green have an in-state rivalry with the University of New Hampshire in an annual matchup known as the Granite Bowl. UNH leads the overall series 21-19-2. From 1901 to 1976, Dartmouth won 17 out of 18 games against the Wildcats. From 1979 to 2023, UNH posted a 20-2-2 record against the Big Green.
Mascot
Keggy the Keg is the Big Green's unofficial mascot. It was created in 2003, almost 30 years after the unofficial Native American mascot was banned and Dartmouth dropped "Indians" as their nickname. The creators of Keggy were two members of the college's humor magazine, the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern. These students designed a mascot that was not sexist, racist or biased, yet was totally unacceptable.
Keggy has been featured on Yahoo Sports, Playboy Magazine and College Humor.
Uniforms
Dartmouth's official colors are green and white, which fits in with the campus perfectly. The helmets are white with two small green stripes on each side of the crown. A simple block letter "D" is centered above the facemask. Dartmouth typically wears white or silver pants with green stripes down the legs. Their alternate "blackout" uniforms look terrific paired with the white and green-striped helmets.
2023 Season Review
With the news of Coach Teevens' accident, the team experienced some turmoil throughout the season. But in the end, the Big Green finished 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference. This was good for a share of the 2023 Ivy League Championship. Dartmouth started the year 2-3, including a tough loss to in-state rival New Hampshire in the season opener. However, the Big Green finished strong, winning four out of their last five games.
Dartmouth was led on offense by their outstanding rushing attack, featuring senior QB Nick Howard and running back Alexisius "Q" Jones, Jr. The Big Green averaged 174 yards per game on the ground, good for second in the Ivy League. Defensively, Dartmouth finished second in the Ivy League in both sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
2024 Season Outlook
On offense, look for the Big Green to continue relying on the ground game. Q Jones will be the featured back after rushing for 572 yards and 4 TDs in 2023. QB Jackson Proctor, named a team Captain for 2024, completed 74 percent of his passes in 2023. He racked up over 700 yards and 4 TDs through the air on less than 100 pass attempts. Proctor is also a threat on the ground, scoring a 78-yard TD against Brown last season.
Returning for the Big Green on defense in 2024 is fifth-year senior linebacker Danny Cronin, who was in the top 10 in the Ivy League in tackles last season. Cronin added 5 TFLs and an INT in just 8 games in 2023. Cronin will be joined along the front seven by Josiah Green, a defensive tackle who had 7.5 TFLs in 2023 and was named second-team All-Ivy League.
Dartmouth will kick off their 2024 season on Sept. 21 at home against Fordham. The Big Green will begin conference play on Oct. 5 against Penn, when they will dedicate their stadium to the late, great Buddy Teevens.
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