Newsletter of The Friends of Dartmouth Football Vol. 6, No. 1 Spring 2015 Tri-captains Dalyn Williams, Ryan McManus and Will McNamara The Sky is the Limit in 2015 How the Friends Help • Honors and Awards Inside A Look at the Recruiting Class • And more Newsletter of The Friends of Dartmouth Football The Friends of Dartmouth Football organization has played a vital role in the dramatic turnaround of the Big Green football program. Thank you to those who have already given. Your help is greatly appreciated. There’s still time for everyone to be a part of the drive for Ivy League championship No. 18. Visit Dartmouthsports.com/giving to donate online. Friends Provide More Than A Virtual Jump On Opponents Dartmouth Will Be Among First Teams To Benefit From Groundbreaking Technology If the Dartmouth football team is to win the 2015 Ivy League championship a perfect storm of conditions may play a role. First, a former college place- kicker is developing a novel use of revolutionary technology designed to provide football teams who use it an advantage over the opposition. Second, the former player offered Buddy Teevens, former Stanford kicker Derek Belch and the STRIVR tools the coach who recruited him to and headphones. on the field – invaluable to a Stanford the opportunity to buy the Dalyn Williams had the chance quarterback. The most surprising part system, which will be available to t o p u l l o n t h e h e a d s e t a n d of it all was the ability to turn around just a handful of schools this fall. headphones in Floren Varsity House 360 degrees and see my would-be That coach? Buddy Teevens. this spring when onetime Stanford running back and teammates. Oculus And finally, thanks to the Cardinal Derek Belch brought the is the next big thing for film study/ tremendous generosity of the Friends system east for a hands-on look. The player development.” of Dartmouth Football, a cutting edge D a r t m o u t h q u a r t e r b a c k , w a s technology that is expected to be on immediately sold. Used for the first time last year at many college campuses and in NFL “I was absolutely amazed when I Stanford, STRIVR will aid quarterbacks headquarters in the not-too-distant put the headset on,” he offered. “Not at just a handful of FBS schools and just future is coming to Hanover now. only was the picture extremely clear one FCS member this year – Dartmouth, STRIVR is an immersive “virtual but I was interacting mentally in a which, thanks to the Friends of reality” platform that essentially virtual world. Dartmouth Football has an exclusive places a football player onto the field “I was able to take mental reps agreement that assures it is the only through use of an Oculus rift headset by reading coverages without being school in the Ivy League to have the 2 Newsletter of The Friends of Dartmouth Football Virtual Reality, Continued Stanford coach David Shaw so appreciated the help it technology for the next two years. gave his team last year that he asked to invest in the “Being the best means having the best and this is company. Teevens hasn’t cracked open his wallet yet, and cutting-edge stuff,” Teevens said. “NFL teams are looking hasn’t been through a season with the system. But given what at it right now. Eventually everyone is going to want to he’s learned, what he’s seen, and his faith in the people behind have this. This puts us ahead of the curve.” it, he pushed for Dartmouth to be an early adopter. Belch unveiled the system to 10 NFL coaches and Denver Broncos’ GM John Elways at this year’s NFL Said Belch: “Buddy must have said six times when Combine and the reaction was swift and enthusiastic. we were showing it to him, ‘I know you and Trent are Tipped off about what his former kicker was doing this and I trust you.’ He said he was almost ‘in’ developing, Teevens texted Matt Doyle, the Stanford before even seeing it.” director of football operations, to find out more. Soon he was talking with Belch himself. Teevens was pleased to While the connection with Belch helped Dartmouth find out that one of the first to get a jump on the VR move- join the STRIVR effort was “Being the best means having the best ment, this isn’t like adding Trent Edwards, another of his another DVD player or two. recruits who went on from and this is cutting-edge stuff. NFL teams It was thanks to the resources Stanford to play five years at are looking at it right now. Eventually provided by Buddy's army, quarterback in the NFL. everyone is going to want to have this. The Friends of Football, that “Buddy wanted to learn an exclusive deal could be This puts us ahead of the curve.” more,” explained Belch, who secured. With a nod from was on Memorial Field Buddy Teevens Coach Teevens, Senior filming plays late in the spring Associate Athletic Director practice period with a Rubik’s cube-sized gizmo tiled Drew Galbraith was able to ink the commitment to with small digital cameras that are used to create the purchase the system in recent weeks. 360-degree picture that provides the virtual reality “We’ve done the best we can with what we’ve picture. “We spent 45 minutes on the phone talking. always had, but this is cutting edge stuff,” Teevens said. He’d heard and read about what we were doing and I “We’re excited and certainly appreciative that we can do thought it was a natural fit for Dartmouth.” this with the help of the Friends.” Williams, the Dartmouth quarterback, believes the When Teevens first put the headset on and a play investment will pay big dividends. began to develop in front of him his reaction was fairly “(STRIVR) will prove to be worth every penny,” he typical. stressed. “It is a very flexible tool and allows for most “I was stunned at how realistic it was,” the coach positions to be involved. This tool will speed up the said. “I’ve had something like that on before, and it was development of players and in my belief, in conjunction animation almost. This was the real thing. Literally, there with a great training program, could change an ordinary was a snap and I moved my hands to catch the ball – player into an outstanding one. The more underrated part which obviously was not present.” of its creation is definitely the coach's ability to see what each player looks at, which will allow coaches to teach There are other systems that use animation to technique better in the film room. simulate plays, but research has shown that the brain “I believe that with the addition of (STRIVR), assimilates information better with live action according practices will be more efficient. Coaches will have the to Belch, who unabashedly says STRIVR’s live action is ability to limit or expand practice reps for whoever they the best in the business. deem necessary and the lost reps can be made up via While the system is still in active development, 3 Newsletter of The Friends of Dartmouth Football “STRIVR will prove to be worth every penny. It is a very flexible tool and allows for most positions to be involved. This tool will speed up the development of players and in my belief, with conjunction of a great training program could change an ordinary player into an outstanding one.” All-Ivy League quarterback Dalyn Williams Virtual Reality, Continued (STRIVR). For quarterbacks this tool the defense they will be practicing freshman ready even before they get has no limit: it will teach the correct against during the week. By the time on the field.” places to look pre-snap as well as they take the field on Tuesday post, how coverages take shape and afternoon for the first full practice of Teevens believes that it won’t be ultimately where to go with the the week they should have a much long before every school will covet football. It simply provides players better grasp of that week’s gameplan the STRIVR system. That Dartmouth and coaches another avenue to be than ever before. has it first will be another benefit. great. Who wants to be average?” But that won’t be the only use of “We are always looking for the system. differentiation and this is something So how does it work? By the start “The beauty of it is, it doesn’t just we’ll have for two years that no one of the preseason in late August the have to be the quarterback,” Teevens in the Ivy League will have,” said Dartmouth coaches will have broken s a i d . “ W e a r e u s i n g s o m e Joey McIntyre, whose responsibilties down the offensive and defensive imagination with it. We already did with the Dartmouth program include s c h e m e s r u n b y B i g G r e e n some things they haven’t done with it overseeing recruiting. “This will give opponents. Shown play cards, the before. us the ability to put a recruit in the “scout team” will re-enact the “You can use it to let an inside middle of the Green, or at the Skiway opponents’ plays as usual.