Biography

A teacher, coach, middle school principal, banker, author and powerful speaker, Kent Stock is also the man who coached the Norway baseball team during their now-famous final season. As depicted in the 2007 film, The Final Season, the nationally recognized Norway baseball team came together under then first-year head baseball coach Stock to defy the odds and win Norway’s 20th state title in what would become the team’s final season before merging with a bigger, neighboring school district.

Growing up in central Iowa, Kent excelled at baseball with the support of his parents and grandparents. Waldorf College, then 13th in the nation, recruited Kent to play second base.  For his junior year, Kent transferred to Luther College and continued playing baseball while earning his undergraduate degree in business management with a minor in education. He then went on to teach high school in Belle Plaine, Iowa where he became well-known and respected as both a teacher and coach. During this time, the head coach of near-by Norway’s baseball team, Jim Van Scoyoc, met and interviewed Kent for the assistant baseball coach position at Norway, a tiny community of less than 600 that defied statistical probability with16 kids that went on to play professional baseball and about one third of them played in college. Before he knew it, Kent was the head coach of a baseball team that would be playing its final season with one goal, to win Norway’s 20th state title.  In the summer of 1991, while Kent was 30 years old, he helped them accomplish just that

After leaving the Norway baseball program, Kent remained at Belle Plaine High School another seven years before earning his Masters degree from Drake University in education administration.  He left Belle Plaine to become a middle school principal in the Linn-Mar School District.  Today, Kent is a relationship manager at Community Savings Bank. In 2006, that special summer of 1991 was brought to life again by film-maker David Mickey Evans and the star-studded cast of the 2007- released film, The Final Season.

While a long-time inspirational force for the many students he has taught and coached over the years, their families and countless education providers, Kent launched his professional speaking career in 2006. His inspirational message has a powerful impact on young and old alike and transcends the field, classroom, or office.  Request a copy of Kent’s book, “Heading for Home: My Journey from Little League to Hollywood”.

Kent currently lives in Marion, IA with his wife Laurie and two daughters.

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