GREEN BAY — They call the football field at Aplington-Parkersburg High School the “sacred acre,” and given the values — commitment, hard work — Aaron Kampman had learned from Ed Thomas while playing for him on that patch of land in rural Iowa, it was no surprise to see where Kampman was Wednesday morning:

On the Green Bay Packers’ practice field.

Despite learning just before practice that Thomas, his former high school coach and mentor, had been shot and killed Wednesday inside the school’s weight room, Kampman was participating in the team’s final practice of the mandatory three-day minicamp.

“I was the one that delivered the news to Aaron. He was in meetings when we got the news,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after practice. “It’s a tragedy.”

Thirteen months ago, when an F5 tornado ripped through Parkersburg — a town 80 miles northeast of Des Moines and a few miles from Kampman’s hometown of Kesley — Kampman drove all night from a family trip to survey the damage himself and visit his grandfather, who was injured. When he arrived, Thomas was one of the first people to greet him, with an extended bear hug.

But when the Packers’ organized team activity practices began a few days later, Kampman reported to work, even though McCarthy had excused him. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, who is converting to outside linebacker in the Packers’ new 3-4 defense, went back to Aplington-Parkersburg last year for the school’s first game after the tornado.

Kampman, who received condolences and handshakes from teammates throughout practice, did not speak with reporters afterward.

Kampman did issue a statement through the team later in the day, which read: “Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be associated with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his greatest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his savior.”

Thomas, who won the 2005 NFL High School Football Coach of the Year award after Kampman and fellow Aplington-Parkersburg alumni Casey Wiegmann of the Denver Broncos, Jared DeVries of the Detroit Lions and Brad Meester of the Jacksonville Jaguars nominated him, was shot multiple times shortly before 8 a.m., authorities said. About 50 students were in the school, including several in the weight room, at the time. School was not in session, and no one else was injured in the attack.

Thomas was airlifted to Covenant Medical Center in Waterloo, where he died, his family said in a statement. He was 58.
The gunman, identified by authorities as 24-year-old Mark Becker, a former student who played football for Thomas, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

Thomas compiled a career record of 292-84 in 37 seasons as a coach, 34 of them at Aplington-Parkersburg, and was one of the most well-known high school football coaches in Iowa. He led the school to 19 state playoff berths and two state championships.

Extra points

McCarthy turned the final practice into a jog-through only session that lasted less than an hour. He said it wasn’t abbreviated due to the 90-degree heat, but rather it “was the plan all along. We really got a lot of work done in the OTAs. Our participation was outstanding, so really our minicamp the last three days was about corrections.” ... McCarthy said he expects all of his injured players to at least be able to practice once a day starting with the Aug. 1 opening practice of training camp. That means linebacker Nick Barnett (knee), safety Atari Bigby (ankle), left tackle Chad Clifton (shoulders/knes), center Scott Wells (shoulder), defensive end Cullen Jenkins (ankle) and right tackle Breno Giacomini (ankle) should be good to go. ... Defensive end Justin Harrell missed practice Tuesday and Wednesday because of what McCarthy termed “an illness.” ... The team released guard Nevin McCaskill.