Football Coach with National Honors Slain in Iowa High School

June 25, 2009 by Suzanne Conlon

Ed Thomas, 2005 NFL high school football coach of the year, was shot and killed at Aplington-Parkersburg High School in Iowa early Wednesday.  The gunman, who has been identified as Mark Becker, 24, was arrested at a residence in Parkersburg shortly after the shooting and taken into custody at Butler County jail, according to an official from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

According to witness reports, Becker walked into the weight room at the school at 7:47am and fired multiple shots from a handgun.  He then left the school in a blue 1991 Chevy Lumina, which was found in his parents’ driveway.  He was arrested without incident and has been charged with first-degree murder.  There is no known motive.

Becker should have been in police custody already.  On Saturday of this week, he was involved in a high-speed chase with local law enforcement after breaking the windows of another man’s house with a baseball bat and driving into the man’s garage door.  Injured during the chase when his car struck a deer while traveling approximately100 miles per hour, Becker was hospitalized at Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo. 

Investigators asked hospital officials to notify them before Becker’s release, but he was released without notice on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday morning’s shooting occurred in the school’s weight room, and approximately 50 students were present at the time.  “No kids were hurt, we’re thankful for that,” said Superintendent Jon Thompson.  “They did witness this and so we have counselors at the site to talk with the kids.”

Thomas had coached football at Aplington-Parkersburg for 34 seasons and was well-respected.  In addition to being named NFL High School Coach of the year in 2005, four of his former players now play in the NFL: Aaron Kampman of Green Bay, Brad Meester of Jacksonville, Jared DeVries of Detroit, and Casey Wiegmann of Denver.

“As a former high school football coach, I’ve always had great admiration and respect of Coach Thomas,” said Iowa Governor Chet Culver in a statement.  “The state and national coaching fraternity has suffered a devastating loss.  As we mourn the passing of Coach Thomas, it is my hope we can all continue to learn from his example.”

Paul Rhoads, coach at Iowa State University, said that Thomas was an Iowa coaching legend and “the best of people.” 

“His leadership set an example for us and his legacy will live on in the thousands of people he has touched in and out of the classroom and on and off the field,” said Rhoads.

A vigil in honor of Thomas took place on the high school football field at 7pm Wednesday.