Danny DeBacker was a talented student-athlete at Mount Mercy University when he was tragically killed by a drunk driver Sept. 28 in Davenport.

That sad story was the most-read story on the Metro Sports Report website in 2014, according to the MSR analytics.

DeBacker, 22, from Orion, Ill., suffered massive head injuries in the accident and died at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics that afternoon, ending a prayer vigil by family, friends and teammates at the hospital.

DeBacker competed on the basketball and track teams at Mount Mercy and would have been a senior this year.

Another sad story ranked No. 2 among MSR readers this year. It was the story about Cole Johansen, the beloved long-time Cedar Rapids Jefferson teacher and coach and was entitled "Johansen has taken his final bike ride."

Written beautifully by Tom Fruehling, the article chronicled Mr. Johansen's life and accomplishments as he battled the final stages of lung cancer. He stopped breathing a few days after the article appeared at age 67, with his wife Trudy and family members by his side.

The No. 3 story among our readers was an uplifting tale about Jefferson student Erin Kuba, entitled "She's My Hero" and also written by Fruehling. Erin, now a junior, overcame thyroid cancer at age 14 to become an important player on the Jefferson softball team.

Erin, the daughter of Jefferson coach and teacher Mike Kuba, grew up a J-Hawk and never complained about her medical problem. "She's my hero," her father said.

The fourth article on our Top-10 list was a story about a girls basketball game between Cedar Rapids Washington and Linn-Mar last winter. The story focused on Dani Franklin and her mother, Deb, both of whom scored more than 1,000 points during their Washington basketball careers, Deb during the historic 6-on-6 era of girls basketball and Dani in the modern game.

Our No. 5 story was a column about Johnny Orr, calling for the former Iowa State and Michigan coach to be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Written following Coach Orr's death, it made the case that Johnny enjoyed a remarkable career at both colleges and was a tremendous ambassador for the sport with his wit, wisdom and unique personality.

Desi Druschel being fired as the baseball coach by Mount Mercy University ranked No. 6 on our list. The seventh story on the list was about Marion High School graduate Morgan Paige, who began her coaching career as an assistant at Coe College this season following her successful playing days at Wisconsin.

The No. 8 story on the list was about the Wirth siblings, Andrew and Allie, and their basketball careers at Coe. Andrew graduated last season, but his sister Allie is playing for the Kohawks again this year.

The ninth story on the list was about KGAN sports director Jared Aarons leaving the local television station and moving to California. The 10th article on the list was a story about new Kirkwood baseball recruits, including a 6-foot-8 pitcher named Nick Bruno.