Tom Rinaldi Presents: Sacred Acre
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Documentary Podcast
- Best Podcast
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Step into the world of Sacred Acre with Tom Rinaldi as he uncovers the profound story of Ed Thomas, the legendary high school football coach from Parkersburg, Iowa.
In this gripping 6-part series, Rinaldi takes you back to explore Thomas’s remarkable journey—from his acclaimed role as the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year to his pivotal role in rebuilding Parkersburg after a devastating EF-5 tornado. Just a year later, Thomas's life was tragically cut short when he was murdered by a troubled former player.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
Living up to his reputation as one of the most thorough and thoughtful journalists in all of sports, Rinaldi sought to leave no stone unturned in telling the most complete story of Thomas’ life and legacy. Despite Thomas being a legend in Iowa who also earned plenty of national press attention during his life and following his murder (including prominently at the 2010 Espys, where Thomas was posthumously awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award), Rinaldi’s aim was to tell a fresh and unique version of Thomas’ story, bringing new depth and insight even for those who thought they already knew the story.
Rinaldi and his partners at FOX Sports, Blue Duck Media and PorterHouse Media knew that in order to accomplish this lofty goal, they would not only need to report the story from scratch, but also earn the trust of many people who have already spent years talking about this topic with others… and somehow get them to share new thoughts.
Objective
In this gripping six-part series, award-winning journalist Tom Rinaldi uncovered the profound story of Ed Thomas, the legendary high school football coach from Parkersburg, Iowa.
Rinaldi explores Thomas’s remarkable journey—from his acclaimed role as the 2005 NFL High School Coach of the Year to his pivotal role in rebuilding Parkersburg after a devastating EF-5 tornado. Just a year later, Thomas's life was tragically cut short when he was murdered by a troubled former player.
The series examines the impact of Thomas’s values of Faith, Family, Football, and Forgiveness through intimate interviews with those who knew him best, including four NFL veterans who were among the hundreds for whom he will always be Coach Thomas. Each episode reveals how his legacy continues to shape and inspire his community – and everyone he touched – even fifteen years after his death.
This was the follow up to Tom’s debut series for Tom Rinaldi Presents, Fox Sports’ first audio documentary series. Season 1 was “Wesley,” which profiled Lyman Wesley Bostock, the only MLB player ever to be murdered during a season.
Strategy & Execution
Rinaldi and the team at Blue Duck began by poring over more than 100 different pieces of archival video footage, including a 90-minute documentary that had been produced years ago.
Over the course of a year of production, they took multiple trips to Iowa (47 hours of driving in all) and conducted 27 total interviews, producing more than 55 hours of interview footage.
Included among those were every central figure in the story, each of whom fully opened up to Rinaldi, including:
Dave and Joan Becker (the parents of the young man who murdered Ed Thomas), who spoke with Rinaldi for nearly four hours.
Ed’s widow Jan Thomas, their sons Aaron and Todd as well as Aaron’s three sons, all of whom have since played football on Ed Thomas Field.
Four former NFL players who came through Thomas’ high school program – Jared DeVries, Aaron Kampman, Brad Meester and Casey Wiegemann – each of whom had 10+ year careers in the NFL after playing for Thomas.
Organizations
- Blue Duck Media
- PorterHouse Media
- FOX Sports
Links
Credits
Tom Rinaldi
Host, Writer & Executive Producer
FOX Sports
Eric Shanks
Executive Producer
FOX Sports
Charlie Dixon
Executive Producer
FOX Sports
Gabe Goodwin
Executive Producer
Blue Duck Media
Scott Turken
Executive Producer
Blue Duck Media
David Sabino
Executive Producer
Blue Duck Media
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
