Their Fathers' Sons

THE fall weekend whereabouts of Joe Sullivan '49, Dr. Bud Lynch '38, and Gene Teevens '52 can be determined by checking a Dartmouth football schedule. Sullivan, voted the outstanding New England football player of 1948, has been attending Big Green games regularly for over two decades and hasn't missed a contest in four years. Lynch, chosen by SportsIllustrated for its Silver Anniversary All-America Football Team in 1962, resolutely drives the 450-mile round trip from Westport, Connecticut, to Hanover to see Dartmouth in action. Teevens, the recipient of a patchwork of surgical stitches from football and hockey injuries at Dartmouth, has a weekly dilemma - he has six sons playing football on five teams. A common tie binds the three alumni: They have sons on the 1977 Dartmouth football team.

Playing football for the Big Green has been a tradition for some families over the years. Bob MacLeod '67, son of all-America halfback Bob MacLeod '39, led the team in pass receptions in 1964. Bill Carpenter '74, his father William '50, and grandfather Russell '23 played three generations of football for Dartmouth. Mike Hannigan '71 was a defensive back whose father, Judson, captained the 1947 team. Thomas Jay Pyles '67, a kicking specialist, is the son of John Pyles Jr., an outstanding member of the 1931 squad. The Truncellito, O'Shea, and Stevenson families were represented on teams in both the 1940s and 19705. And there are some variations. Paul Babcock, father of 1969 co-captain Ernie Babcock, attended Dartmouth but later transferred to Brown where he was an all-East choice as guard on the Bruins' 1930 team. Ted Perry '73, the College's all-time kick-scoring leader, was preceded to Dartmouth by his grandfather, father, two uncles, and a brother. There are obviously other father-son combinations for which records are scarce and memories dim.

"I'm tickled to death, really proud of him," says Sullivan of his son Joe, a second-string defensive end and regular member of the special kick coverage teams. Young Joe was not recruited by Dartmouth and was not a standout as a freshman, playing on the B team three years ago. "It's been a fight the whole way, but he's hung in there. He's really a football nut. For the last year he's worked out every day," says the elder Sullivan.

Sullivan is the man to watch on kickoff coverage. He's usually the first or second man down the field. "Joe Sullivan is a head-hunter," says Coach Jake Crouthamel. "He'll get after people and he'll knock their block off. He's a very good special team player because of his aggressiveness. He's not afraid of anything or anybody. That's the kind of disposition you need on the special teams."

The elder Sullivan wasn't afraid of anyone, either. His first game as a Dartmouth varsity player was as a 16-year-old freshman fullback in a 34-0 loss to Notre Dame back in 1945. The six-foot one-inch 193-pound, crop-haired Sullivan was the team's T-formation quarterback for the next two years and shifted over to halfback in his senior year. A two-way player, Sullivan was the team's leading passer in 1947, leading rusher in 1948, and he holds the College pass interception records with six in one season and 11 in a career.

"He is the greatest defensive back and as good as any offensive back that I have coached in my 30 years of football," said coach Tuss McLaughry when Sullivan received the George (Bulger) Lowe Award in 1948. Sullivan played for the all-East team in the East-West Shrine Game at the Rose Bowl that year, but spurned bids by Detroit of the National Football League and Los Angeles of the All-America Conference to turn professional. Instead, at age 20 he opted to become the head backfield coach at Georgetown.

"I've been a regular for over 20 years," says Sullivan, who drives up from Dover, Massachusetts, and always tailgates next to the Sphinx before home games. "I haven't missed a game in which Joe's played for four years, and I only missed one of his high school games. Counting JV games, I went to 13 football games last fall." Sullivan took young Joe to his first Dartmouth game when the lad was seven or eight years old.

Dr. Lynch is a veteran football father and has a double treat each time he attends a Big Green game. Sons Chris '78, the starting rover back, and Mike '80 are members of the current squad. Bud Lynch Jr. played defensive tackle on three Ivy League championship teams from 1969-71.

Dr. Lynch, who played behind quarterback Harry "Heavenly" Gates on the unbeaten, twice-tied 1937 team, has always been in the stadium when one of his sons plays. The only game he's missed since 1968 was the 1970 Cornell game at Ithaca when Bud was sidelined with an injury. "We're planning to make all the varsity games," he says, adding that the other five pediatricians he's associated with are "understanding" and will take turns covering for him during football weekends. "I'm happy the boys are playing football, but I'm also happy that they were able to get into Dartmouth and be able to keep up with their work," says Dr. Lynch. "They all love the country atmosphere."

Mike Lynch, a sophomore, is playing on the JV team. His brother Chris pitched in with a fumble recovery during the 38-0 drubbing of Boston University in the third game of the season. With two minutes and 53 seconds gone in the second half, Lynch pounced on a fumble at the BU 23-yard line and two plays later, fullback Curt Oberg went 18 yards off right tackle for his third touchdown of the day, giving Dartmouth a commanding 24-0 lead. "Chris is really a bit of a surprise to us this year," says Crouthamel. "We didn't know if he would keep the starting job, but he clearly won it and has done a super job. He's a disciplined and heady player and a super fine young man."

Teevens, father of junior quarterback Buddy Teevens, has a schedule problem. "I have six sons who all play football", he says. "If I miss one* or more of the games, my wife will pick up the slack and go to the other ones." The Teevens live in Pembroke, Massachusetts.

Buddy is the oldest of five quarterbacks in the Teevens clan. Brother Scott, who last fall broke his father's records for most yards gained and most touchdowns thrown at Kimball Union Academy, is playing amateur football with the Plymouth Rocks on Cape Cod. There's a Teevens quarterback in the senior, junior, and freshman classes at Silver Lakes Regional High School. The other son is a two-way player, and halfback,at Deerfield. Gene Teevens was a halfback at Dartmouth and the leading ground-gainer as a freshman. An injury during his sophomore year shortened his football career, but he was a letterman as a defenseman and wing on the Dartmouth hockey team.

During the first weekend in October, Teevens, who also boasts a trio of athletically talented daughters, took in three football games: the Plymouth Rocks. a high school freshman game and Buddy's game at BU. He saw another son play in a high school JV game on Monday. "My wife took in the rest," he notes.

Through the first three games of the season, Teevens backed up senior quarterback Steve Ferraris. Because of a Ferraris injury, Teevens started the opening game against Princeton and during the first half and part of the third quarter completed six of ten passes for 79 yards and the firstperiod touchdown aerial to Jeff Nadherny. (Nadherny's father played for Yale.) "Buddy Teevens is a super fine young man," says Crouthamel. "He has a great deal of potential and has poise — just look at the Holy Cross game."

Against Holy Cross, Teevens came into the game with only 29 seconds left to play. The ball was on the Dartmouth 24-yard line and the score was deadlocked at 14-14. In four plays Teevens completed passes of nine, three and 30 yards to set up kicking specialist Nick Lowery's game-winning 40-yard field goal with two seconds to spare. "It was pretty exciting, but a team effort," observes Teevens, who the next week directed two drives against BU. One ended with a 38-yard Lowery field goal; the other resulted in a touchdown run by Greg Jenkins.

In the future there will probably be a lot more Dartmouth undergraduates following in their fathers' footsteps on the Memorial Field gridiron. Mike Lynch will be around through the 1979 season and Buddy Teevens has another year before he'll graduate. Any more Sullivans? "Thank heavens, no," jokes the elder Joe Sullivan, father of two teenage daughters. "I'm glad I don't have to go through this again."

When Teevens throws, Dartmouth goes - almost (but not quite) enough at Harvard.

Crouthamel Resigns On the eve of the next to last game, Coach Jake Crouthamel '60 said he was leaving football at the end of the season. At the time, Dartmouth was tied for first place in the Ivy League.. Crouthamel's record was 41-18-2, with three Ivy championships.