My wife, Roberta, has helped me get through this because of her faith in God. “The outpouring of support was overwhelming and truly humbling. Then Jim Leyland called followed by Buddy Bell,” cited Donnelly. About four hours later I received a text from Mike’s wife, Sharon, who said she was flying to Dallas to be with Mike’s mother because they had been friends for years.

One of the first phone calls I received Monday was from Mike Hargrove. Hargrove went on to be a good baseball player and then a very successful manager for the Cleveland Indians. “We had named Michael after Mike Hargrove who I had coached in Texas. Once the news began to spread in Steubenville and the professional baseball community where Rich Donnelly has spent the majority of his life, the phone calls and text messages began. I will always remember his sense of humor and compassion,” continued Donnelly. He was also a very talented artist and could read a book once and get an A on a test. Michael was a different person and always wanted to help others. Everyone in town knew him,” commented Rich Donnelly. I could be walking downtown and someone would stop me and ask how Mike was doing. He had friends at Big Red, Catholic Central and Indian Creek. Everyone knew him and they were his friends. Michael was a smaller kid but never gave up and he was not afraid of anything. “Reno helped Michael get a scholarship to Cumberland College in Cumberland, Ky., where he played football for four years. And I will pray for their family,” Barilla said.

Rich and his wife are very strong in their faith and I am sure that will help them. “Rich has been a friend for years and I am at a loss for words. And now Michael, who was a good Samaritan and trying to help a stranger when he was fatally hit,” Barilla said. Those two girls were within inches of being shot, but stayed to comfort the wounded. “They have been through so much tragedy with their daughter who died, their other two daughters who were in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting last year. Rich Donnelly was often a visitor to the Frank & Jerry’s Furniture and Appliance Store morning coffee club, and Steubenville Mayor Jerry Barilla extended his condolences to the Donnelly family. I could hit grounders to him all day and he just kept playing,” Stacy said. We would practice infield drills and he never quit. I liked his personality because it reminded me of myself at that age. He was a scrappy ball player and played with a lot of enthusiasm. “I was the infield coach and Michael played second base. He had the respect of his peers and his teammates really liked him,” remarked Stacy. “He would say something or do something to keep the baseball team loose in the dugout, and that is important in baseball. Steubenville High School assistant baseball coach Mark Stacy said he always will remember Michael’s sense of humor. He became a good friend of our family,” noted Saccoccia. A little ornery at times like other high school kids, but, overall, a very good kid who had a lot of friends. He was always very dependable and if he said he would do something you could count on him doing it,” remembered Saccoccia. He proved that by all the things he accomplished. He was a tough kid, both mentally and physically. He wanted to be a kicker, so we gave him a chance. “Mike wasn’t into basketball like his brother. He would approach Steubenville High School Head football Coach Reno Saccoccia and ask to try out as a place kicker for the Big Red. Michael had moved to Steubenville when he was preparing to enter the eighth grade. It was natural for him to see someone in trouble and to offer his help,” said Rich Donnelly. He always had a good heart and he had a lot of good in him. “He had been helping his mom during the Christmas holidays.

Tim donnelly death