ALLEGHENY COUNTY — Loved ones gathered Friday in Springdale to remember a star football player and recent graduate who died Thursday.
The small community near Pittsburgh Mills has only about 3,000 residents, who are shocked and saddened by Joel Wunnenberg ’s sudden death.
Wunnenberg, a freshman running back at Marietta College, graduated from Springdale High School last year.
At Friday’s memorial, one of his coaches said, “Springdale has a certain type of kid. They're tough. They're hard-nosed. They give everything they have. One of those kids epitomized that, more than anyone. And that was No. 22.”
Wunnenberg died at a hospital at Marietta Memorial Hospital in Ohio. A cause of death had not been released as of Friday night.
While family and friends wait for answers, his mother had a simple request.
“Please tell us stories of our son, because our lives are over. We will feel dead for the rest of our lives,” she said.
His coach told the Wunnenbergs about their son’s first day at practice.
“Joel broke his finger that morning. He had the trainer put it back in place and he kept practicing. He finished the practice,” he said. “He was someone that I hope you all carry in your hearts for the rest of your life.”
Channel 11 News reached out to investigators in Marietta, Ohio, who said there won’t be any updates until at least Monday.
Cox Media Group
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