Mark A. Tabb,Tony Dungy
On a Sunday in May 2008, an F-5 tornado struck the town of Parkersburg, Iowa, killing eight people and destroying 250 homes and businesses within 34 seconds.,The next day, Parkersburgâ€™s beloved football coach, Ed Thomas, made a stunning prediction: â€œGod willing, we will play our first home game here on this field this season.â€ One hundred days later, the home team scored a victory on the field they dubbed â€œThe Sacred Acre,â€ serving as a galvanizing point for the town to band together and rebuild.,But just as Parkersburg was recovering, another devastating tragedy struck. While working with a group of football and volleyball players early one morning, one of Edâ€™s former students walked in and gunned him down point blank. Ed Thomas was 58.,The murder of this hometown hero spread across national news headlines. Edâ€™s community and family reeled from shock.,Yet the story doesnâ€™t end here.,What happened next proves that even a double tragedy is no match for faith, love â€¦ and the power of forgiveness.
Biography,Nonfiction,Sports,Sports,Football,Religion,Faith,Leadership,Crime,True Crime,Autobiography,Memoir,Biography Memoir
The Sacred Acre: The Ed Thomas Story