Tom Rinaldi Presents: Sacred Acre

Step into the world of Sacred Acre with Tom Rinaldi, who's back for Season 2 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.

Experience the impact of Thomas’s values of Faith, Family, Football, and Forgiveness through intimate interviews with those who knew him best. Each episode reveals how his legacy continues to shape and inspire his community even fifteen years after his death.

New episodes of Sacred Acre drop every Thursday. 

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Sports
True Crime
Football
1
S02 Episode 06: Burden and Blessing
31 min
2
S02 Episode 05: Lots of questions why...
35 min
3
S02 Episode 04: June 24th
40 min
4
S02 Episode 03: Concrete's Dry
35 min
5
S02 Episode 02: The Beckers
33 min
6
S02 Episode 01: Coach and Community
32 min
7
Season 2 Preview
3 min
8
S01 Episode 08: The Marker
We make the drive with Youvene to Inglewood Park Cemetery, to return to Lyman’s grave.
34 min
9
S01 Episode 07: Hello...Leonard?
Leonard Smith, the man who admitted to killing Lyman Bostock in a jealous rage, a man arrested more than half a dozen times, receives the jury’s verdict.
31 min
10
S01 Episode 06: An Open and Shut Case
Family, friends and all in baseball are in shock over Lyman’s murder.
34 min
11
S01 Episode 05: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
By September 1977, Lyman is in the top 10 in the AL in hitting after starting his first season with the Angels in a huge slump.
30 min
12
S01 Episode 04: Right Place, Right Time
Bostock breaks out in Minnesota, becoming one of the best hitters in the league.
27 min
13
S01 Episode 03: Determining My Destiny
Motivated by what he believes are scouts who misjudge him based on his “trouble” in college, Bostock is motivated more than ever to make it.
28 min
14
S01 Episode 02: Bigger Than Baseball
Bostock spent part of his childhood in Gary, Indiana: the murder capital of the United States.
24 min
15
S01 Episode 01: We Call Him Wesley
To his family, he was simply “Wesley.” But to all in Major League Baseball, Lyman Wesley Bostock Jr. was a master with a bat.
29 min
16
Season 1 Preview
In the more than 150 year history of Major League Baseball, only one player has ever been murdered during a season.
3 min