With her senior year winding to an end, outside hitter Mia Tyler has certainly made a name for herself with BGSU volleyball, tallying 799 kills, a 0.218 hitting percentage, and 866.0 points through 310 sets of her four-year career. So, it may come as a surprise that Mia is not the first of the Tyler family to make a mark on the court. 

James Tyler, Mia’s father, played basketball for Bowling Green from 1984-1988, playing in 93 games and putting up 342 points averaging 23 and a half games per season. 

The idea of seeing your child wear the same colors as you might cause a parent to pressure their son or daughter however, this was not the case for James during Mia’s senior year of high school. 

“It was her own decision, she’s old enough, she’s capable, and I wanted her to make her own choice,” said James Tyler. “Maybe in the back of my mind, I was hoping that she would make this place her home because I’m familiar with it, and I knew that she would be in a great community.”

Despite James Tyler’s denial of any influence on Mia’s decision, it is clear that some aspects of Bowling Green were highlighted throughout her childhood.

“I just love the people of Bowling Green; everyone is so nice. I remember my dad would even talk about how nice and kind the people were, especially being a little bit farther from home,” said Mia Tyler. “He also had a second family here; I knew I wanted something like that.” 

Although they made their decisions roughly 30 years apart, the Louisville, Kentucky, natives both placed heavy emphasis on a strong community due to them being 282 miles away from home.

“Some of my teammates have come up, and we’ve had a good time. BG is just a perfect meeting place for everybody to catch up, everyone’s familiar with the campus, so it’s a little bit easier,” said James Tyler.

Legacy is a common theme for the Falcons, and the Tylers are not the only family to play in the Orange and Brown throughout the years. 

“Some of us have kids playing here, so my teammates and I like to support each other that way and watch their games,” James Tyler said. 

Seemingly, the younger generation enjoys the support from Falcon alumni, with Mia getting to see several of her dad’s teammates in the stands watching her play. 

“I love that sometimes when my dad comes to games, he will bring some of his basketball teammates. It’s just so cool because they might not have been in BG for a while, and now, they get to come back,” Mia Tyler said. 

With Mia’s career seemingly coming to a close, James says he is doing his best to soak up the time that he has. 

“It’s so important to me that she is playing at my alma mater, which I think she enjoys a lot more than I think she puts on, but I know she enjoys it, and I do too,” James Tyler said. 

While Mia Tyler may not let on as much as her dad would like, her final year has been bittersweet as she will leave the community that she has grown through four years with.

“I’ll miss being part of a team a lot; it’s always great to have 18 girls around you at all times who are not only your teammates but also your friends,” Mia Tyler said.  I’ll miss that and also definitely the community, which I know I’ll still have, but it will not be the same as me being here and living in it every single day.”