Tom Rinaldi's podcast 'Sacred Acre' examines murder of a legendary football coach
Despite growing up in a teaching family, Edward Arthur Thomas rarely addressed himself as "Mr. Thomas." He didn't often address himself as "Deacon Thomas,"
despite the fact that it was his title at his church — a man who taught adult Sunday school and would even deliver a sermon if his pastor was unable to attend service.
And he rarely, if ever, addressed younger people as "Ed" when they came into his company. Ed Thomas was "Coach," and that was sufficient.
"Sacred Acre," a narrative podcast produced and narrated by Tom Rinaldi of FOX Sports
explores how that honorific was earned and what it came to mean in the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa,
as well as the national honors bestowed on the community as a result of Thomas' death.There are two major elements to Thomas'
story that will entice readers even if they did not grow up in Iowa, let alone Parkersburg, where Thomas coached the Parkersburg Falcons high school football team, or in What Cheer, Iowa, where he was raised.
The first is that Thomas was one of the greatest high school coaches the world has ever known.