Tyler's Story

Ask Tyler Dunton about his dream job, and you won’t hear any hesitation – Pittsburgh Penguins Operations Team Member of course! The Acme, Pennsylvania native is a senior sports management major with a minor in general business.

Tyler began his collegiate career at Bowling Green State University in 2013 majoring in education. However, he quickly realized that it wasn’t the major for him, and when a friend introduced him to the field of sport management, he never looked back.

“I recognized the opportunity for personal growth and experience, and thought, maybe I should do this.”

During his freshman year, Tyler spent significant time playing Intramural Sports, which sparked his interest in applying for a Perry Field House Attendant position.  Within his first year working at the PFH, Tyler’s graduate assistant recognized his leadership ability and suggested he apply to be a Student Supervisor. “I recognized the opportunity for personal growth and experience, and thought, maybe I should do this,” Dunton said. “I’m always interested in moving up and seizing any opportunity I can.” Through the promotion Tyler was able to bring his passions for leadership and sports together.

In addition to his contributions as a supervisor, Tyler Dunton was instrumental in the creation of the Recreation and Wellness Snapchat account. His motivation was to keep students engaged with what goes on behind the scenes of RecWell events. "Snapchat is becoming bigger and bigger and I thought this would bridge the gap between management and the users of our facilities,” he said.  Dunton had fun with this informal assignment by getting out to all the RecWell facilities and encouraging other students to get involved in filming stories. 

“There’s a lot more that goes into this job than what people really see.”

As he prepared for graduation, Dunton reflected on the duties and roles of a Student Supervisor and their correlation to any profession. “There’s a lot more that goes into this job than what people really see,” Dunton said. He was involved in risk management, facility scheduling, running staff meetings, operating the Welcome Desk, cleaning the facility, and consistently demonstrated his willingness to jump in and work beside other student employees during large event and on a daily basis. “Being counted on is also a huge thing,” Dunton said. Overall, Dunton learned various managerial and leadership skills that he feels will be a major asset to him in the sports management industry.

In addition to working for Recreation and Wellness, Dunton also coached the BGSU Women’s’ Club Soccer Team.

Learn more about Perry Field House Employment