It’s a small, cramped office, located next to the girls locker room, that is home to all athletes’ best friend. “Mr. Tunnell’s Office” is written on a whiteboard sitting in the window with a caricature of a smiley man. Tyler Tunnell is the most vital piece of Damascus athletics, being the permanent athletic trainer for Damascus since the 2023 school year. He is fast-acting, funny, knowledgeable and honest to all the athletes that walk through his door. While Tunnell has only been employed at Damascus for three years, his history with the school runs much deeper.

Growing up, Tunnell attended Urbana High School with his sister. His father attended, then taught, at Damascus High School. Tunnell’s dad became the head coach of the football team in 1994. Tunnell remembers most of his childhood spent at Damascus and standing on the sidelines with his dad. He compares his admiration to his dad to the admiration Tom Brady has for his dad, “He is my role model and he taught me how to be a listening ear to kids.” Tunnell’s father attended Damascus from 1976 to 1980 and played quarterback for the football team. He was the head coach for football for four years and accumulated a 34-9 record. His passion for the Damascus community inspired Tunnell, and although he was an Urbana Hawk, he felt accepted in the Damascus community.

Tunnell didn’t always plan on becoming an athletic trainer, he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete as a kid. “I think almost all kids dream of becoming a professional athlete as a kid,” Tunnell claimed. Growing up, his sports of choice were football, basketball and lacrosse. During his junior year of high school, tragedy struck his life. Tunnell suffered an ACL tear, one of the most unfortunate injuries to any person who plays sports. He remembers his interest in athletic training started around this time. 

Tunnell attended Kansas State University and received his masters degree in heath and wellness from Tulane University. After he graduated, he had one goal in mind, make his way back to Damascus. “I love everything about being an athletic trainer, but there is something special about Damascus,” Tunnell claimed. “I love being able to talk to kids and get to know them the same way I got to know their parents when I was young.” His responsibilities include the day-to-day healthcare of all student athletes that compete at Damascus. He described the job as “multifaceted” since he has different responsibilities and tasks every single day. “I could never see myself at any other school,” Tunnell explained. “The thing I love the most [about Damascus] is being able to converse with students and make sure they know they have worth. I am always willing to talk to a student about their accomplishments or just chat about life.” 

Tunnell wishes all student athletes knew that some of the easiest ways to prevent injury were the simplest of things. “Honestly just by getting lots of sleep, drinking plenty of water and listening to your body, a lot of injuries can be prevented or caught earlier,” Tunnell expanded. He claims the most common injuries he sees are ankle sprains and strains. He contributes this to the fact that high schoolers aren’t done growing and their growth plates can be fragile. His biggest challenge in working as a high school athletic trainer is building trust with the athletes he works on. He loves to get through a long day by listening to music. “I am also always ready for visitors and I love talking to people,” Tunnell said.

If this alone doesn’t convince you that Tyler Tunnell is the best athletic trainer of all time, take it from one of his interns. Amaya Hammond has been interning with Tunnell for a year and a half. Her main responsibilities are attending sporting events with him, staying by his side at all times, taping up injuries and wrapping up ailments. “I just enjoy being there,” Hammond said. “He’s a really fun guy and I love just talking to him.” She expressed lots of love for Tunnell with the way he treats his athletes. Hammond expressed how enamored she is with the amount of focus and dedication he uses on each person. “Everyone who comes to him leaves feeling cared for because he truly does care. He cares about every single person in this building,” Hammond explained.

She isn’t the only student who absolutely adores him. Tunnell means so much to every person in the Damascus community and he always does his best work when dealing with an injury. Damascus truly couldn’t have been luckier when they hired Tyler Tunnell. Everyone who has had the opportunity to meet him can truthfully say he is the glue that holds the Damascus athletic program together, we don’t know what we would do without him.