As a talented two-sport all-state athlete in football and basketball at Dawson County High School, Tyler Dominy was recruited to play football by several colleges and universities outside the state. But he took the path less traveled.
Dominy chose instead to play basketball at the University of North Georgia (UNG), which was closer to his hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia. It was a decision he said made all the difference.
When Dominy talked about his time at UNG, his face brightened and he offered a dazzling smile. What amazed him is how well the decision he made to give up a promising collegiate football career to play basketball close to home has turned out.
"UNG was always there for me, it seemed like it was destiny that I was to come here," he said. "It wasn't my first choice, but it turned out it was my best choice."
Dominy was an all-star quarterback at Dawson County High School, and "anytime there's a decent quarterback there, it seems you're destined to play football in college." While he was offered a number of scholarships, he felt he wasn't "the one."
"I was never any of those schools' top guy," Dominy said. "I was one of three or four. I felt I was needed but not really wanted."
At the same time, Dominy felt the pull of home. He wanted to stay close to family, to his tight group of five friends who he had known since kindergarten. So his high school basketball coach pulled a sleight-of-hand, alerting UNG basketball coach Chris Faulkner of a potential recruit in his backyard.
"Coach Faulkner offered me a scholarship to UNG at the McDonalds in Dawsonville," Dominy said with a laugh. "It had to be done in near-secrecy, because everyone was expecting me to go elsewhere to play football."
"During the recruiting process, it was very evident that Tyler was a person who cared about everyone around him," Faulkner said. "He always put his teammates before himself and he got the fact that he was part of something bigger than himself. He was a leader on all of his high school teams and he always strived to make his team better."
Dominy exemplified the term "student-athlete." He was named Steak-n-Shake Nighthawk of the Week, 2016-2017 Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Presidential Honor Roll Bronze Scholar, 2016-2017 PBC All-Academic Team, 2015-2016 PBC Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar and 2014-2015 PBC Presidential Honor Roll Bronze Scholar.
"My time at UNG wasn't been some big, glamorous thing, and that made it perfect here for me. I've had the opportunity to be somebody here, to mature," Dominy said. "That was very important, especially at this stage of my life. I worked in the admissions office as a student ambassador, I was a member of the student-athlete advisory committee. I got a lot more value out of coming here than had I gone out of state."
After graduating in August 2017 with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Dominy returned for a fifth year to fulfill his commitment to his basketball teammates, and to pursue a master's degree in public administration.
"I was so grateful to coach Faulkner for the opportunity to play here," Dominy said. "My friends came to all of my games, and those are memories I'll carry for the rest of my life. I felt like the whole athletic department — the entire university — supported me. UNG changed my life."
"Tyler was a high-character young man who exemplified everything we wanted in a student-athlete at North Georgia," Faulkner said. "Tyler was the type of person who everyone gravitated to and wanted to be around. He and I developed a relationship over the past few years that stretched far beyond basketball."
