Coach Ed Thomas


I have zero respect for anyone who willingly takes another persons life. If you start to think about how much better off you would be by killing someone, do us all a favor and off yourself because, lets be honest, no one probably likes you because you are a creep and borderline psychotic. With that being said, the sports world lost a great coach and an even better man today. Iowa’s Aplington-Parkersburg High School Football coach/Atheltic Director Ed Thomas was gunned downed by a former player of his in the weightroom during off season workouts. Other players were present when the psycho gunned down the coach, but none were hurt. The gunmen was 24 year old Mark Becker. Becker was arrested in his parents driveway shortly after the shooting. This all seems like a fail on the police departments part. Becker apparently led police on a high speed chase last Saturday and was supposed to be admitted to the pyshciatric ward (shocking) there after. Some how that didn’t happen. How is it possible to lead police on a car chase on Saturday and be free and able to obtain a gun four days later?!?
Coach Thomas was more than a high school football coach. He was a beacon of light for his community during its hard times. The first time I heard of Coach Thomas was when ESPN did a special on how he was putting his town back together in Sept 2008 after a deadly tornado ripped through it. Many people looked up to him, especially the four current NFL players that had played for him; Green Bay Packers Linebacker Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville Jaguars center Brad Meester, Detroit Lions defensive end Jared DeVries, and Denver Broncos center Casey Wiegmann. Perhaps Kampman said it best during an interview with AP writer Nigel Duara:

“Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities, his legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ.”

The world didn’t just lose a coach, they lost a father, a mentor and a role model. Rest in Peace Ed Thomas…

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