Thousands mourn slain football coach

PARKERSBURG, Iowa — Thousands of mourners gathered Monday to remember a slain high school football coach as a man of faith who believed in leading by example.

Family, friends and former players packed into a church, community center and parking lot for the funeral for Ed Thomas, the 58-year-old longtime coach at Aplington-Parkersburg High School who was gunned down Wednesday in the school weight room.

Pastor Brad Zinnecker of First Congregational Church said the huge turnout was a testament to Thomas' faith.

"They recognized a man after God's own heart," Zinnecker said. "His personal life and public life were one and the same."

The number of mourners easily topped the roughly 1,800-person population of Parkersburg as people filled the church, watched a broadcast of the funeral in the community center and spilled into a parking lot to listen to the service.

Media coverage of the funeral was limited, with reporters banned from entering the buildings. However, a transcript of an audio recording of the service was released after the funeral.

In the transcript, Al Kerns, a longtime assistant coach, described the relationship Thomas had with members of the community.

"He only saw the best in all of us," he said. "He never said no when others asked of him, so other people could never say no to him."

Kerns, who has been named a co-coach for the team this fall, drew laughs when he described how Thomas would show his players how much he cared.

"If Ed loved you, he'd chew you out. More than once," Kerns said. "And he could make you feel this big, but there was love in every bit of it. And sometimes, we all needed that."

Red Bulls give Conway his wings

SECAUCUS, N.J. — Goalkeeper Jon Conway, suspended late last season by the MLS for using performance-enhancing drugs, has been released by the New York Red Bulls.

The Red Bulls made the move Monday after acquiring the rights to goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul from Colorado for allocation money and then signing him.

Conway was 1-7-1 with a 1.78 goals against average this season. Last year, the former Rutgers star started in a career-high 28 games, recording a 1.50 GAA and seven shutouts.

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