Photos by Ralph Freso
“Mom, I know this happened for a reason.”
Those were the first words Grand Canyon University water polo coach and Paralympian Tye Dutcher said to his mom after his foot amputation surgery at 11 years old.
The Merced, California, native spent most of his time growing up in the water. Water polo was his biggest passion, so when an accident changed his life, instead of giving up, Dutcher’s passion for the sport grew even more.
It's a sport that's on his mind, not only because he's GCU's water polo coach, but because fellow Paralympians are competing through Sunday in Paris, including GCU alumna Jataya Taylor, who will be representing Team USA in the épée category of wheelchair fencing Friday and Saturday.
“I was never mad at God for it. I knew there was a purpose behind it," Dutcher said of his injury.
The day of the accident, he saw his dad mowing the lawn and wanted to sneak up on him to be playful. When his dad reached the edge of the lawn, he put the machine in reverse, not knowing Dutcher was behind him. As Dutcher was running toward his dad, he stumbled to the ground right when the machine started moving. The back tire got caught on his right foot, and the blade severed his foot.
“I thought I was in a total nightmare, banging my head against the grass and saying, ‘God, please wake me up.’”
Dutcher was airlifted to a medical center, where he underwent four surgeries over the next 11 days, resulting in an amputation four inches above his ankle.
“I thought, I can either be bitter about this and not move on, or I can be, in a crazy world, grateful for it and continue to push onward with a positive mindset, that way I can live my life to the fullest still," he said. "This is where my story starts.”
The healing process and recovery kept Dutcher out of the water for six months after his surgeries.
“I was very scared to get back in water. I didn’t want to feel any pain getting in the water, but it was the opposite.
“There was a sensation, even though I didn’t have my foot. I was terrified, but once I got in, I thought, ‘Oh, this is great. I’m back.’”
Alongside his family, Dutcher moved to Washington state at age 16. He began playing water polo at his high school and quickly moved his way up to become one of the top water polo players in the state.
His inspiring story and impressive records lead to a feature in the Seattle Times, which drew the attention of a former Paralympic coach.
“He just said, ‘We have to get this guy out to the Olympic training center in Colorado.’”
The next thing Dutcher knew, he was moving to the Olympic training center a week after high school graduation in 2015 with the hope of qualifying in swim for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
“They wanted me there for Tokyo, but I wanted to be there because I knew I could potentially make Rio. I trained for one year and I made it.”
Six days per week, swimming between 10,000 and 14,000 meters daily, and most days training two times per day, the sport became Dutcher’s life.
“I’d always swim to stay in shape for water polo season, but I never thought that I would be going into Paralympics.
“Water provided so much freedom for me out of my accident. I could take off my prosthetic leg, jump in the pool, and it would still feel like I had all my limbs. There were no limits in the water.”
Dutcher competed in the 100-yard backstroke event at 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro. Going neck-to-neck with second and first place in the last 25 meters before finishing, Dutcher remembers feeling a strange and sudden resistance against his body, as if someone was pushing him back.
"I don’t know if it was the Lord or what it was, but I was right there to getting into finals and being a medal contender, but it didn’t happen, and that’s OK. There is a purpose behind that, and I think it was God telling me I am not ready yet."
But Dutcher never let this experience bring him down.
In 2017, Dutcher went on to achieve a bronze medal in the 100 meter backstroke, swimming at the World Para Championships, and in 2019, he won a gold medal at the Parapan American Games.
“It was all gradually increasing. All that culmination of training two to three years for Tokyo, it all added up. My times were increasing, I got medals and was moving up rankings in the world.”
But when Dutcher attended trials for the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, even though he reached first place in his event and made the speed time requirement, he was not selected for the final team.
“They didn’t give a reason, but I could still see the good behind not qualifying because I knew the Lord was calling me out of that world.”
“I had to really rethink my outlook on everything, especially where my identity was. In any interview I would always share the Gospel as much as I could because I wanted to be the Lord’s instrument, but I just knew everything I was doing, was who I was. I was a swimmer. My identity was wrapped up in that and not in me being a child of God.”
Jeremy Phung, the GCU club swim coach, reached out to Dutcher in 2019, asking if he was interested in coaching GCU's club water polo team. Dutcher declined the offer at the time because he was training for the next Paralympics, but when Phung reached out again in 2023, Dutcher couldn’t say no.
“This was at a time when I was asking God for another opportunity. I had totally forgotten about water polo until Jeremy called me. He asked if I wanted to coach and I said yes.”
Currently in his second year of coaching GCU’s Club water polo team, ambitious Dutcher is rebuilding the team, creating an established, competitive, yet fun, environment with the goals to rank higher in the league and see more athletes join.
“I don’t know what my life would look like now if the accident didn’t happen, but now I want to do things for God and follow His will wherever that might be. Where I am now is where God wants me.”
GCU staff writer Izabela Fogarasi can be reached at [email protected]
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Related content:
GCU Club Sports: Varsity Sports Show, Tye Dutcher appearance
GCU Club water polo: Tye Dutcher
Women's water polo: Dutcher remembers Paralympic Games experience with humility
TEDxGCU: The power of choosing gratitude
