Manchester celebrated the success of a hometown boy turned NFL player on Saturday with an event at the country club. But Seth DeValve used his night to honor a high school security guard whose death this year impacted the entire community.
After graduating, DeValve always looked forward to returning to Manchester High School and the chance to reunite with Barry Mitchell, known to everybody as “Mitch.”
“He was one of the smiling faces I always wanted to come back to see,” DeValve said.
DeValve graduated from Manchester in 2011 and now plays in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.
He credits Mitch, the high school’s beloved security guard, for looking out for all the students and pushing him as he eyed high school sports.
“I remember meeting him and him encouraging me before I stepped foot on any of those fields or courts,” DeValve said.
Coaches say Mitch followed DeValve’s achievements from high school to college to the pros.
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“When it came to Seth, especially the fact that Seth had such an illustrious career getting to the NFL, it was something that really made him proud,” Marco Pizzoferrato, a Manchester High School teacher and coach, said.
Then came a moment that stunned the community.
Mitch suffered an apparent heart attack at school in January and died at age 53.
So when it came to Saturday’s event, DeValve knew just who it should benefit. So he turned it into a fundraiser for Mitch’s family.
“It was a no brainer. Mitch meant so much to all of us,” DeValve said.
The auction of DeValve's professional memorabilia raised several thousand dollars for Mitch’s family.
