By Kamri Alexander | Writer
The Dossey name is far from unheard of within Baylor men’s golf. Maybe you have heard of Baylor graduate Cooper Dossey’s career or know of junior golfer Luke Dossey who is playing his third year at Baylor, but they won’t be the only Dossey’s to come from the program. Their youngest brother, Sam Dossey, was recently signed and gets an opportunity to continue the Dossey legacy at Baylor.
The Dossey brothers look at the chance to all play for Baylor as an opportunity to create a legacy for their name, but the legacy doesn’t begin with them. Their parents, Paul and Trudi Dossey, both went to Baylor and their mom was a yell leader. They even have an aunt, Kelli Donaldson Smith, who played for Baylor women’s basketball from 1992-95. Cooper said over 35 family members have attended Baylor so far.
Because of their family’s deep love for Baylor, it made the school an easy pick for them, especially Sam. His family joked that he bled green and gold because of how much he loved Baylor as a kid. Growing up, it was his dream to just go to Baylor.
“Baylor was the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life. We always joked that I literally bleed green and golf … that’s just been my dream school since I was a little kid,” Sam said.
His brothers, having already picked Baylor, made the decision all that much sweeter for Sam, but he said he would’ve gone even if they hadn’t.
“Cooper and Luke going there really helped out the decision a lot just because I love my brothers so much and it’s a dream come true to play with Luke,” Sam said. “But at the same time, I think even if they didn’t go there I still would have wanted to go there, but it definitely did make it easier to see that [Baylor] was the school for me.”
Despite Cooper being the oldest, it was Luke that chose to go to Baylor first. When Luke was a freshman in high school he had already decided he was going to be a Bear while Cooper was committed to Texas A&M University’s program. It was Luke’s love of Baylor that changed Cooper’s mind. In his senior year of high school, Cooper made the decision to go to Baylor instead.
Those decisions have worked out well for the Dossey brothers, as all three will have had the special opportunity of getting to play on the team with a sibling. Cooper and Luke got a special year together as Cooper got to play a fifth year after his senior year was cut short by COVID-19. It was a special experience for both of them, but now Luke gets to be the wise older brother and encourage Sam in the same ways Cooper did for him.
“My favorite two years of high school were freshman and senior year because I either had Cooper or Sam with me on the team, so getting to do that in college again is really special,” Luke said. “I know that Cooper did a really good job of taking me under his wing when I got to college, and I’m hoping I can do the same for Sam. But I also know how much better my game has gotten when I have a brother on the team, so I’m really looking forward to Sam getting here because I know he’s going to help me out as much as I can help him.”
Cooper and Luke said the caliber that Sam plays at has always been higher than the average kid because his opponents have never just been athletes his age. His biggest opponents have been his brothers. That extra challenge and encouragement has allowed Sam to do things Cooper and Luke have never done.
“I don’t think Luke or I did some of the things Sam has done in his most recent play, but I think that’s a result of Sam comparing himself to us, not his peers,” Cooper said. “He’s worked at a level about five to six years older than he actually is. I honestly think [his maturity level] is the reason for [Sam’s] success; he’s been able to beat us while we’re at home, which makes it easier to beat some of his peers.”
No one wants to lose at anything against their siblings, but sometimes that feels inevitable for the youngest sibling. Sam said he felt that growing up, but as all three of them continued to grow up and grow closer, having older brothers challenge and uplift him changed being the youngest from a burden to a blessing.
“I’ve always felt like being the youngest was the biggest blessing for me. The way I look at it, I get to learn from them every single day and they’re two of the best humans on the earth, on and off the course,” Sam said. “Whenever I was younger, I hated to be the youngest because I wanted to win so bad. But as I got older, I started to realized being the youngest has been the biggest blessing to me. I would not change it for the world.”
Golf is more than just a game for the Dossey brothers; it’s a sport where they have family ties and a part of how close they are today.
The Dossey brothers want to make their name a dynasty and leave a legacy they and their family can be proud of while also making each other better along the way.
“The coolest part about me looking back, what Sam is about to go through and what Luke is wrapping up, is the legacy we’re leaving on Baylor golf,” Cooper said. “It’s not Cooper Dossey. It’s not Luke Dossey. It’s not Sam Dossey, It’s the Dossey brothers.”
