One of the most prominent football coaches in the state of Iowa was shot and killed Wednesday. Ed Thomas, the longtime coach at Applington Parkersburg was shot and killed early this morning in the school's weight room. A former player has been arrested. The complete story is on our website if you want to read further.

I never met Coach Thomas, but I covered a game of his back when I worked in Southern Iowa. I didn't need to meet him to understand what kind of man he was. He was a leader, a person many in the small town looked to for guidance and leadership.

Last year, Thomas almost single handily rebuilt the town of Parkersburg after a EF 5 tornado wiped out the town. People looked up to this man and now he is gone. Tthat's the kind of world we live in now. You just never know what's going to happen.

This ordeal hit close to me as my wife is a coach. I thought wow this could happen to her and that's scary. Who knows what the suspects motive was and we may never know. If it can happen in a town of 1,900, it can happen anywhere and that's what scares me the most.

Here's a coach that (from what I've read) would do anything for a player or citizen (much like my wife) and then the next minute, your're gone.

It's unfortunate situation that hit a litte closer to home this reporter.