By Bruce Wood
Big Green Alert
HANOVER -- Former Dartmouth wide receiver David Shula '81 laughed a lot talking about good friend Buddy Teevens' impending bicycle ride across the country. And he laughed just as much about his own part in the adventure.
"I guess I'm partly to blame," said the onetime Cincinnati Bengals head coach who now runs the popular Shula's steakhouse chain. "I probably made a mistake. I sent him this book called, Ultramarathon Man, an inspirational, you-can-do-anything-you-set-your-mind-to kind of a book. I included a note saying, 'Kirsten (Teevens' wife) will probably kill me for sending this, because who knows what you will come up with.' "
The answer arrived in Teeven's thank you note. "He said he's going to be doing this trip, starting in San Diego," Shula recalled with a laugh. "So I called him back and he said he's doing it by himself. I'm thinking he's half insane, but that's him. He'll figure out a way to make it happen."
Shula ought to know. The former Big Green teammates have spent a lot of time together and it's often spent pushing each other to their physical limits. "Over the years, when he was recruiting and would come into town where I was coaching we wouldn't go to dinner or lunch, we'd go run or work out together," said Shula, an active triathlete who has run the Boston Marathon. "That's just what we've always enjoyed doing. Last summer when I was up a couple of times for graduation and our reunion, we started biking together."
Teevens told Shula stories last summer about his spur-of-the-moment bicycle ride from Hanover to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he joined his family on vacation. And he talked about the dream of riding from coast-to-coast, something younger sister Moira '87 had done years ago.
After Teevens finally committed to doing the trip that starts Monday morning in San Diego Shula decided to sneak a peek in his own date book and he liked what he saw: a window of opportunity to join his friend for the first 10-or-so days of the 3,600-mile trek. The two are joining up in San Diego and hope to ride together at least until Albuquerque.
"Originally I had to be somewhere on May 16," Shula said from Florida. "Now I have to be here Friday, May 18. It would be tempting to keep going but I think my wife's tolerance level would probably be exhausted by that point. And my younger son graduates high school on May 22, so I have to be back."
Teevens' schedule is also constrained by a graduation. Buddy Teevens Jr., picks up his diploma from Salisbury School in Connecticut on Friday, June 1. By Teevens' estimate he will have to average about 160 miles per day to be back in time for the ceremony. Shula, for as fit as he is, knows keeping up with the Dartmouth coach will be a challenge.
"He's a better biker than I am but I know he's been stuck by weather and spring football so you don't know," Shula said. "But that doesn't matter with him.
"What I'm thinking," the former wide receiver continued with tongue in cheek, "is he's got this Bluetooth rigged into his helmet, so he's going to have to stop to dial the phone. I'm hoping each time he does that I'll be able to catch up."
In addition to meeting and greeting alumni and coaches along the way, Teevens is hoping to raise awareness of breast cancer and perhaps bring in donations for The Annual Prouty Ride Century Bike Ride & Challenge Walk raising money for cancer research at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center. (Click here to donate).
The cause is close to Shula's heart.
"In Kirsten's family they've had some issues with it and my mom died of complications from breast cancer in '91," he said. "My dad has a foundation (The Don Shula Foundation) so I'm doing the same thing. Like Buddy, I feel bad asking anybody for money, ever. But there are people who said they'd like to donate in honor of that, which would be great."
While Shula won't do the whole ride, he's doing arguably the most arduous part, pedaling through the desert southwest where temperatures will probably be in the 90's during the day. "I'm going to enjoy it," he said. "I have a sense of adventure and look forward to seeing how it goes. I've never really seen the southwest like this.
"Of course," he added with a laugh, "I'm not sure anyone has."
Some have. But probably not an active Division I football coach. ... Yet.
NOTES Shula and Teevens will meet a group of friends and fellow Dartmouth alums for a Sunday night dinner in San Diego organized by former Dartmouth punter Rick Bayless '84. They will be eating at Georges, a Gaslamp Quarter restaurant. Among those expected to be in attendance are San Diego Padres CEO Sandy Alderson '69 and Jason Bash '06, the hard-luck Big Green tailback for Teevens the past couple of years. Breakfast will be at The Original Pancake House on Convoy Street in San Diego. Barring a change, the plan is to shuttle the pair off to the Escondido Christian Center parking lot on Idaho Avenue in Escondido to begin their ride on a welcoming downhill that will take them into a farm valley, past the San Diego Wild Animal Park and off on their adventure for the ages.
Check the Green Alert Blog each day for updates on the ride.
UNH football held its spring game Saturday and to the surprise of no one, it was an offensive slugfest, a 42-41 game between the Wild and the Cats. The UNH sports information office has this release. ... There's more on the UNH fireworks and the continuing legacy of walk-on captains at the school in the Manchester Union Leader and the Concord Monitor. ... Allen Lessels of the "Leader" was in town this week to talk with Teevens for a story about his bike ride, but I haven't seen it on the 'Net yet. If it shows up, I'll post a link.
If you see stories about Teevens' ride, please send the link this way and I'll post it here for everyone. Also, if you cross paths with him during his ride and snap a digital pic or two, they'd look awfully good here on the blog, so send 'em along ;-)
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