Tragic Death of Ed Thomas Touches Many in Sports World

Reading the news today about the shooting death of Ed Thomas, football coach at Aplington-Parkersburg (Iowa) High School, made my heart sink. Reports say he was shot by a young man in the weight room of the school this morning while he worked with the next generation of outstanding student-athletes whose lives he was shaping.

As with most senseless tragedies, we search for answers or reasons. But I’m afraid in this case we will remain as dumbfounded as we typically are when confronted with news of violent crime.

I never met Coach Thomas, but knew much about him because of the number of NFL players he produced (four currently in the league: Denver’s Casey Wiegmann, Green Bay’s Aaron Kampman, Detroit’s Jared DeVries and Jacksonville’s Brad Meester) and because of my ties to Iowa through my wife’s family.

Most sports fans—whether they remember the name or not—might have first heard of Ed Thomas not just for his remarkable record of 292 wins in 37 years of coaching, but for his tireless work as a pillar of strength in the town’s recovery from a devastating EF5 tornado last Memorial Day weekend.

I was driving through Iowa with my family that weekend on the way to my in-laws’ home in the North Central part of the state, and recall being just 50 miles from Parkersburg when the tornado hit. Over the next few days we could not escape images of the damage and loss, which sadly included seven lives.

The tornado ravaged much of the school grounds, including the football field named for Thomas, in addition to Thomas’ home. Though he and his family lost so much personally, Thomas immediately rallied people by making the rebuilding of the school and the reclaiming of the football field—nicknamed by locals the “Sacred Acre”—a focal point by setting a goal of playing their first home game on schedule come September.

It is fashionable in times of tragedy to say sports pales in importance to matters of life and death. And it does. But to over-simplify to that degree is to miss the point. Looked at properly it is revealing to see the role sports can play in rallying people to find collective strength they could not muster on their own.

Sports Illustrated senior NFL writer Peter King captured the impact of that tragedy and its aftermath last year in a very poignant edition of his popular Monday Morning Quarterback column. King eloquently captured the impact of Ed Thomas through his actions, his words and those of his former players who King typically chronicles for their on-field exploits. Details of Thomas personally combing the field on his hands and knees to collect debris—broken glass, jagged metal, wood, etc.—show the leadership by example that made him such a remarkable man.

With the loss of life it is easy to say today’s tragedy is not a sports story, and technically it’s not. Our prayers go out to Thomas’ family, friends and all who knew and loved him. But in the face of this tragedy there is also a place to remember the way this special man became the focal point in leading his community toward recovery through his role as high school football coach.

Last September, Aplington-Parkersburg High School did open its 2008 football season on schedule, defeating West Marshall 53-20, at Ed Thomas Field.

Just like they did many times before. Only nothing was like it was before. And to an even more tragic degree now, it never will be.

For more on the 2008 tornado and the town’s recovery, led by Ed Thomas, click here.

--Paul Kirk/ProLink Sports

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A Bad Bounce?

The Orlando Magic's Courtney Lee has become a topic of discussion in the sports world after missing a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds of an NBA Finals game last night.

On the sport's biggest stage, the buzz is understandable. It's the type of moment athletes dream about from the time they are children. This one was a little unique in that it didn't require Lee to create a shot in the traditional sense of finding a space on the perimeter or taking a defender--or two--off the dribble.

In this case the shot came to Lee by virtue of a gutsy play call and a picture-perfect inbounds pass. The timing of the play was perfect as well, even if Lee was grabbed by the almighty Kobe Bryant as he rubbed off a screen. That's a call you're never going to get at that moment, and especially not against Bryant.

So what led to Lee's failure? Nerves? The enormity of the moment? Too aggressive?

No, it was something more subtle, but something that befalls many an athlete in big moments: His failure was that he didn't go after the ball and put it back up at the height of his jump, with arms extended. He waited a split-second too long for the ball to come to him and ended up having to lift it back up from chest level while drifting beneath the backboard. This produced the unnatural angle that led to the miss.

In the biggest moments the best players go make it happen. Lee was there, and he did a fine job to time his jump and put himself in position. He just didn't seize the moment when it presented itself.

Funny thing about sports--and life. There's a fine line between hero and goat.

It's a little like what athletes need to remember about PR and image: If you wait for things to come to you, you might miss your moment, or let others tell your story how they see it. If you get out in front of things--good or bad--and tell it your way, you are almost always better off.

Go seize the moment. Make it yours.

--Paul Kirk / www.prolinksports.net / www.twitter.com/ProLinkSports