FOR COACH THOMAS, EVERY GAME WAS ALWAYS ABOUT THE team. “The only way we win is for us all to work together,” he preached. Although I never played for Coach Thomas, his words echoed in my ears as I worked on this book. It was truly a team effort.
First and foremost, I would like to thank Jan, Aaron, and Todd for entrusting Ed’s story to me. You shared so much of him with me that I feel like I knew him. I appreciate your opening your lives up in such a personal way during our interviews, as well as your patience with me as I flooded your in-boxes with questions day after day. No one should ever have to live through the nightmare the three of you endured, yet you did so with such grace and forgiveness that through you an act of evil has become a force for good. Thank you for allowing me to play a small role in spreading this message. Thank you as well to Ellie and Candice for sharing your experiences with me through Tony Wilson for this book.
Speaking of Tony, this book would never have happened without you. Thank you for taking the lead in finding a way to tell Coach Thomas’s story. I appreciate your choosing me as the writer for the book, as well as the way in which you gladly took on the role of my “research assistant.” The stack of DVDs you gave me of Ed’s speeches and the team videos and news coverage of both Parkersburg tragedies were vital to telling this story. I also appreciate all of the interviews you conducted and your constant encouragement during the writing process.
A special word of thanks to Ed’s sisters, Susan Reynolds, Connie Flaherty, Teresa Morrison, and his brother, Greg, for taking time to share with me stories of life in the Thomas household when Ed was a child. I cannot fathom the hurt the four of you carry from the loss of your brother. Thank you for helping me understand who he truly was.
The stories within this book came from hours of interviews with Ed’s family, friends, players, and the people of Parkersburg, Iowa. Thank you to Chris Luhring, who gave me many of the stories in chapters 3, 16, and 17. Chris also provided insight into the long and difficult road to passing the Ed Thomas Bill. Ron Westerman told me invaluable stories about the cleanup and rebuilding of the football field. Thank you, Ron, for making time for me on Thanksgiving weekend. Thank you to school superintendent Jon Thompson and high school principal Dave Meyers, who contributed stories about the rebuilding process. The 2008 A-P Falcon players Coy Wiegmann, Alec Thompson, and Michael Wiegmann showed me the summer of rebuilding from the team’s perspective and made Coach’s final season come alive to me. Thank you, guys, for answering my random texts and e-mails in such a timely manner. Former Falcon Rusty Eddy gave me insight into the character of Coach and the impact he had on his players in a very personal way. Thank you, Rusty, for sharing your story with me through Tony Wilson. Thank you as well to Aaron Kampman, Casey Wiegmann, Brad Meester, and Jared DeVries for sharing your experiences with Coach Thomas. Coach Tom Wilson shared the stories about his friend that became chapter 7; while Coach Scott Heitland’s stories of Ed’s last day became chapter 15. Thank you to both men. I also deeply appreciate Tom Teeple and his wife, Sue, for eagerly opening up and sharing so many stories about Ed. Although I did not use most of these, you helped me come to know Ed. The two of you knew him longer than anyone outside of his family. And thank you to Dave and Joan Becker for sharing their stories about Coach.
Others who were interviewed for this book and the film project by the same name include Pastor Ron Barlett, Scott Becker, Neil and Staci Brumgaard, Rick Coleman, Tim and Shelli Cuvelier, Reid Forgrave, Virgil Goodrich, Jim and Grace Graves, Mark Hubbard, Stub Huisman, Dennis Ihde, Jeff Jacobson, Everett Jansen, Al and Deb Kerns, Orlyn and Wendy Marks, Daryl Myers, Emma Peterson, Mary Rice, Tim and Kim Schnell, Craig Schrage, Jon Wiegmann, Kelly Williamson, and Pastor Brad Zinnecker.
As with any team, some of the most vital members work behind the scenes. Thank you, Lee Hough, for all you do. We make a great team. I thank God for you. I also want to thank my transcriptionist extraordinaire, Sarah Tabb. Thank you as well to the team at Zondervan. Finally, thank you to the best editor in the world, Liz Heaney.