He was much more than a football coach

By Jeff Orvis

It's hard to believe that we already have five games in the book for the 2011 high school football season. But just in time for the rest of the season comes a book that should be required reading for every current prep football player across this great country.

“The Sacred Acre” by Mark Tabb is now available at local book stores. I picked up my copy at the local Wal-Mart. After just finishing it, I am really glad the big box store has this on its shelves. The book tells the story of Ed Thomas, veteran high school coach at Aplington-Parkersburg in northeast Iowa who was gunned down in the weight room at his school on a bright June morning in 2009.

Thomas was a legend in high school football circles. He had been named National Coach of the year earlier in the decade and four of his former players went on to play in the NFL. It came as no surprise to the folks who knew and respected him in the community that he spearheaded the rebuilding of the A-P football field, which others had called “The Sacred Acre” after an EF-5 tornado tore through Parkersburg in 2008.

This book chronicles the work done by Thomas and the A-P community to rebuild the city of just under 2,500 residents. It also recounts in painful detail the events that led up to and followed that fateful morning in 2009. Tabb had the full cooperation of the Thomas family in writing this book. It contains a forward by former NFL Coach Tony Dungy.

Thomas was a deeply religious man. His family attended the same church in town as the family of his murderer. In fact, Mark Becker, who was convicted of the crime, had been a player on the A-P team a few years before.

The book contains some of the favorite quotes of Coach Thomas. The first one may best describe how he tried to live his life:

“I want my legacy to be that I wasn't just a football coach, but a man who tried to live a Christian life and impact others.”

Anyone who has ever played the grand game of high school football, or who has had a son or daughter who has played or can't imagine a Friday night in the Fall without seeing stadium lights shining in the middle of a small town or big city will gain a lot from this book. It is much more than a football book. It is a good portrayal of life in a small town and how folks will pull together in times of adversity. It makes me homesick for Belle Plaine or Independence...