Football Iowa (applington-parkersburg) HS FB coach shot

booger · 06-24-2009, 08:28 AM

just saw on CNN.

They interviewed the super intendent. Said the HC was shot during a weight training session.

aweful

booger · 06-24-2009, 08:31 AM

One of Iowa’s most prominent high-school football coaches was shot and wounded this morning.

A player on the Aplington-Parkersburg football team said the victim was coach Ed Thomas.

School business manager Pat Gosch told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that Thomas was shot in the head at point-blank range.

Authorities were not confirming the victim’s identity, but they confirmed that an adult male was shot at the high school this morning.

Holly Fokkena, Butler County information officer, said about 50 students were present at the school when the shooting happened before 8:30 a.m. No students were injured, she said.

Fokkena said a suspect had been arrested.

Fokkena said the victim was flown to a hospital for treatment. She was unsure which hospital.

The football player said the shooting happened in the school’s weight room.

Thomas has been the school’s coach for nearly three decades. He has nearly 300 career victories, and four of his former players have played in the NFL.

His home was destroyed by the tornado that devastated Parkersburg last summer. But he has helped lead the town back, including the herculean effort to rebuild the ruined football field in time for the start of the 2008 season. The football field is named for him.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/art.../NEWS/90624008

booger · 06-24-2009, 08:39 AM

Casey Wiegmann's school and Coach

Originally Published: October 11, 2004
Small Iowa high school produces four NFL playersEmail Print Share Associated Press

PARKERSBURG, Iowa -- One small school, four large pro football players.

At Aplington-Parkersburg High School, the numbers stretch credulity. This school with about 250 students, in a town of just 1,900 people surrounded by farmland in northeast Iowa, has put four players in the NFL.

Centers Casey Wiegmann of Kansas City and Brad Meester of Jacksonville and defensive ends Jared DeVries of Detroit and Aaron Kampman of Green Bay all starred for Aplington-Parkersburg during a 10-year stretch from 1988 on.

It's a place where each game is rehashed until the next one starts and the high school team is so revered that townsfolk call the football field the "Sacred Acre."

Yes, football is big in these parts. But still, four NFL players?

If the state's largest school, West Des Moines Valley with 2,400 students, had the same ratio of alums in the NFL as Aplington-Parkersburg, it would have 38 players in the league.

"It's hard to believe," Meester said. "But if you really take a strong look at it, the kind of work ethic, the kind of things that come through that program, you can see it's very possible."

Wiegmann was the first to make it. He graduated in 1991 -- it was just Parkersburg High School then -- played at Iowa and began his pro career as a free agent with Indianapolis in 1996. He has been a fixture in the Kansas City line since 2001.

"He was the trailblazer," Kampman said. "Then it was DeVries, then Meester, then me. Obviously, I had something to look at and know it was something I could shoot for."

DeVries graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg in 1994, Meester in 1995 and Kampman in 1998. Meester played college ball at Northern Iowa, the two others at Iowa.

"If you look at the four, we're all offensive or defensive linemen," DeVries said. "We're not real flashy."

That goes back to their high school, where Ed Thomas is in his 31st year as coach. Thomas is 245-57 at the school with 15 playoff appearances, two state championships and four second-place finishes.

He has done it with an approach he describes as "plain vanilla." Thomas' teams run the ball and then run it some more. In one recent game, the Falcons rushed for 586 yards. After five games this season, they had thrown just 18 passes.

"There's two ways to look at football," Kampman said. "You can do multiple things, run multiple formations. Or you can really try to hone down on doing a couple of things and doing them perfectly. I believe that's the philosophy at Aplington-Parkersburg."

Thomas strips football to its basics -- blocking, tackling and execution.

"We would drill and drill and drill," Kampman said, chuckling at the memory.

Along with the fundamentals, the school has equipped its weight room so well that someone walking in there during the spring or summer might find Kampman, DeVries, Meester or Wiegmann working out.

"I don't have to go anywhere else," Meester said. "I can work out at the high school and get everything I need."

And what an example for the current players who lift alongside them.

"That's exactly what it is," said Landon Schrage, an Aplington-Parkersburg graduate who plays at Iowa State. "The kids that start football in middle school and high school ... they see firsthand it can actually happen if you put hard work into it."

Because of the four, the Chiefs, Jaguars, Lions and Packers have a new fan base. Tom Teeple, who operates a one-man barbershop in downtown Parkersburg, is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, but when one of the Aplington-Parkersburg guys is playing, he's watching.

"It's unmeasurable what they've done for our community," said Teeple, who had Wiegmann, Meester and Kampman on the youth basketball teams he coached. "You go to other towns and say you're from Aplington-Parkersburg and people know about those guys."

Delbert Huisman, a retired factory worker in Parkersburg, makes sure he doesn't miss a thing when the four are playing. He has four televisions and the NFL package with his satellite service, so if they're playing at the same time, he can watch them all.

"If somebody wants to watch something else, I'm sorry. They have to go somewhere else," Huisman said. "Those guys have got priority on the TV."

Iowa has many small-town football success stories, starting with the Hilgenbergs of Wilton, a community of 2,800 in eastern Iowa. Wally Hilgenberg and his brother Jerry played in the NFL in the 1950s and '60s. Jerry's sons Jay and Joel also became NFL players.

Oakland Raiders lineman Robert Gallery, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, grew up on a farm near Masonville, population 104.

Arizona Cardinals teammates LeVar Woods and Kyle Vanden Bosch both played at West Lyon High near Inwood (population 875) in northwest Iowa; Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark is from Livermore (431), New York Jets safety Derek Pagel is from Plainfield (438) and Seattle Seahawks tight end Ryan Hannam came from St. Ansgar (1,031).

"It goes to show that we have good, solid programs for our students, whether it's a small school or it's a large school," said Rick Wulkow, assistant executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. "But to think one of our schools has four players in the NFL is just amazing."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?...nfl&id=1899121

**Dave Lane** · 06-24-2009, 08:43 AM

Parent think their kid didn't get enough playing time?

tomahawk kid · 06-24-2009, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Parent think their kid didn't get enough playing time?

That's what I was thinking.

What other sick motive could someone have, unless it was just totally random.

booger · 06-24-2009, 08:44 AM

i have no idea. The small town has been through a ton w/ the tornado that wiped it out now this.

Senseless.

CoMoChief · 06-24-2009, 08:47 AM

I just don't see someone's motive of doing something like this. Football is ONLY and will always be just a game.

Hoover · 06-24-2009, 08:56 AM

The Coach died.

http://twitter.com/kwwl

booger · 06-24-2009, 08:56 AM

UPDATED: Coach Ed Thomas dies from gunshot wounds
Posted: Jun 24, 2009 8:46 AM CDT

Sources tell us that coach Thomas was in the school weight room when someone walked in and opened fire on him.

He was shot several times in the head and was taken to a local hospital.

The school tells us that no students were injured in the shooting.

We will continue to update this story as details become available.

http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=10586585

Frazod · 06-24-2009, 09:02 AM

That's terrible. RIP

Katipan · 06-24-2009, 09:03 AM

Are we not getting the suspects name because he's a minor?

**Old Dog** · 06-24-2009, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Parent think their kid didn't get enough playing time?

I was thinking one of the students/players might have done the shooting....

regardless, it's terrible

RIP

booger · 06-24-2009, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katipan

Are we not getting the suspects name because he's a minor?

from the dsm register story in the comments section

i heard from a former player that a 23 year old former football player of his was arrested.
that he died on the lifeflight to iowa city

sad. i will light a candle at church for him

Katipan · 06-24-2009, 09:11 AM

http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pb...706249946/1006

Quote:

An adult male believed to be the gunman was arrested after the incident was taken to the Butler County Jail in Allison. When asked if the man was a parent of a student, Butler County spokeswoman Holly Fokkena said, "not that I'm aware of, no."

Jenson71 · 06-24-2009, 09:15 AM

Holy shit. This is unbelievable.

He was really respected around here. What the goddamn hell

06-24-2009, 08:28 AM
booger Don't Tug on Superman's Cape Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: clear out in the sticks Casino cash: $1538550	Iowa (applington-parkersburg) HS FB coach shot just saw on CNN. They interviewed the super intendent. Said the HC was shot during a weight training session. aweful
Posts: 12,500

06-24-2009, 08:31 AM	#2
booger Don't Tug on Superman's Cape Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: clear out in the sticks Casino cash: $1538550	One of Iowa’s most prominent high-school football coaches was shot and wounded this morning. A player on the Aplington-Parkersburg football team said the victim was coach Ed Thomas. School business manager Pat Gosch told the Cedar Rapids Gazette that Thomas was shot in the head at point-blank range. Authorities were not confirming the victim’s identity, but they confirmed that an adult male was shot at the high school this morning. Holly Fokkena, Butler County information officer, said about 50 students were present at the school when the shooting happened before 8:30 a.m. No students were injured, she said. Fokkena said a suspect had been arrested. Fokkena said the victim was flown to a hospital for treatment. She was unsure which hospital. The football player said the shooting happened in the school’s weight room. Thomas has been the school’s coach for nearly three decades. He has nearly 300 career victories, and four of his former players have played in the NFL. His home was destroyed by the tornado that devastated Parkersburg last summer. But he has helped lead the town back, including the herculean effort to rebuild the ruined football field in time for the start of the 2008 season. The football field is named for him. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/art.../NEWS/90624008 __________________ 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Posts: 12,500

06-24-2009, 08:39 AM	#3
booger Don't Tug on Superman's Cape Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: clear out in the sticks Casino cash: $1538550	Casey Wiegmann's school and Coach Originally Published: October 11, 2004 Small Iowa high school produces four NFL playersEmail Print Share Associated Press PARKERSBURG, Iowa -- One small school, four large pro football players. At Aplington-Parkersburg High School, the numbers stretch credulity. This school with about 250 students, in a town of just 1,900 people surrounded by farmland in northeast Iowa, has put four players in the NFL. Centers Casey Wiegmann of Kansas City and Brad Meester of Jacksonville and defensive ends Jared DeVries of Detroit and Aaron Kampman of Green Bay all starred for Aplington-Parkersburg during a 10-year stretch from 1988 on. It's a place where each game is rehashed until the next one starts and the high school team is so revered that townsfolk call the football field the "Sacred Acre." Yes, football is big in these parts. But still, four NFL players? If the state's largest school, West Des Moines Valley with 2,400 students, had the same ratio of alums in the NFL as Aplington-Parkersburg, it would have 38 players in the league. "It's hard to believe," Meester said. "But if you really take a strong look at it, the kind of work ethic, the kind of things that come through that program, you can see it's very possible." Wiegmann was the first to make it. He graduated in 1991 -- it was just Parkersburg High School then -- played at Iowa and began his pro career as a free agent with Indianapolis in 1996. He has been a fixture in the Kansas City line since 2001. "He was the trailblazer," Kampman said. "Then it was DeVries, then Meester, then me. Obviously, I had something to look at and know it was something I could shoot for." DeVries graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg in 1994, Meester in 1995 and Kampman in 1998. Meester played college ball at Northern Iowa, the two others at Iowa. "If you look at the four, we're all offensive or defensive linemen," DeVries said. "We're not real flashy." That goes back to their high school, where Ed Thomas is in his 31st year as coach. Thomas is 245-57 at the school with 15 playoff appearances, two state championships and four second-place finishes. He has done it with an approach he describes as "plain vanilla." Thomas' teams run the ball and then run it some more. In one recent game, the Falcons rushed for 586 yards. After five games this season, they had thrown just 18 passes. "There's two ways to look at football," Kampman said. "You can do multiple things, run multiple formations. Or you can really try to hone down on doing a couple of things and doing them perfectly. I believe that's the philosophy at Aplington-Parkersburg." Thomas strips football to its basics -- blocking, tackling and execution. "We would drill and drill and drill," Kampman said, chuckling at the memory. Along with the fundamentals, the school has equipped its weight room so well that someone walking in there during the spring or summer might find Kampman, DeVries, Meester or Wiegmann working out. "I don't have to go anywhere else," Meester said. "I can work out at the high school and get everything I need." And what an example for the current players who lift alongside them. "That's exactly what it is," said Landon Schrage, an Aplington-Parkersburg graduate who plays at Iowa State. "The kids that start football in middle school and high school ... they see firsthand it can actually happen if you put hard work into it." Because of the four, the Chiefs, Jaguars, Lions and Packers have a new fan base. Tom Teeple, who operates a one-man barbershop in downtown Parkersburg, is a lifelong Chicago Bears fan, but when one of the Aplington-Parkersburg guys is playing, he's watching. "It's unmeasurable what they've done for our community," said Teeple, who had Wiegmann, Meester and Kampman on the youth basketball teams he coached. "You go to other towns and say you're from Aplington-Parkersburg and people know about those guys." Delbert Huisman, a retired factory worker in Parkersburg, makes sure he doesn't miss a thing when the four are playing. He has four televisions and the NFL package with his satellite service, so if they're playing at the same time, he can watch them all. "If somebody wants to watch something else, I'm sorry. They have to go somewhere else," Huisman said. "Those guys have got priority on the TV." Iowa has many small-town football success stories, starting with the Hilgenbergs of Wilton, a community of 2,800 in eastern Iowa. Wally Hilgenberg and his brother Jerry played in the NFL in the 1950s and '60s. Jerry's sons Jay and Joel also became NFL players. Oakland Raiders lineman Robert Gallery, the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, grew up on a farm near Masonville, population 104. Arizona Cardinals teammates LeVar Woods and Kyle Vanden Bosch both played at West Lyon High near Inwood (population 875) in northwest Iowa; Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark is from Livermore (431), New York Jets safety Derek Pagel is from Plainfield (438) and Seattle Seahawks tight end Ryan Hannam came from St. Ansgar (1,031). "It goes to show that we have good, solid programs for our students, whether it's a small school or it's a large school," said Rick Wulkow, assistant executive director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. "But to think one of our schools has four players in the NFL is just amazing." http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?...nfl&id=1899121 __________________ 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Last edited by booger; 06-24-2009 at 08:40 AM.. Reason: Casey Wiegmann's school and Coach
Posts: 12,500

06-24-2009, 08:43 AM	#4
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	Parent think their kid didn't get enough playing time? __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more.
Posts: 40,584

06-24-2009, 08:44 AM	#6
booger Don't Tug on Superman's Cape Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: clear out in the sticks Casino cash: $1538550	i have no idea. The small town has been through a ton w/ the tornado that wiped it out now this. Senseless. __________________ 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Posts: 12,500

06-24-2009, 08:47 AM	#7
CoMoChief Mahomes Dynasty Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $8052254	I just don't see someone's motive of doing something like this. Football is ONLY and will always be just a game.
Posts: 39,156

06-24-2009, 08:56 AM	#8
Hoover Rufus Dawes Jr. Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $1688179	The Coach died. http://twitter.com/kwwl
Posts: 17,343

06-24-2009, 09:02 AM	#10
Frazod WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $3155085	That's terrible. RIP
Posts: 119,484

06-24-2009, 09:03 AM	#11
Katipan MER Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Colorado Casino cash: $2770351	Are we not getting the suspects name because he's a minor? __________________ "Loving him is red."
Posts: 22,623

06-24-2009, 09:15 AM	#15
Jenson71 fides quaerens intellectum Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: United States Casino cash: $8330900	Holy shit. This is unbelievable. He was really respected around here. What the goddamn hell
Posts: 15,986