Last week Luther College announced that Kent Stock (‘85) and actor Sean Astin will be co-speakers at commencement on May 18.

Stock, a high school baseball coach and inspiration for the movie “The Final Season,” and Astin, who played Stock in the film, were invited to speak at commencement by the Office of the President and an honorary degrees committee.

Astin had expressed interest in coming to Luther to see the environment and better understand his role in the movie.

“Sean Astin said he would like to come to Luther,” said President Richard Torgerson. “We extended the offer last fall, but it has taken this long to get his schedule [finalized].”

Stock made history when he coached a baseball team from the small town of Norway, Iowa in its final season before merging with a larger school. Stock confronted many of the town’s issues, united the team and led the team to the 1991 state championship.

Astin previously held roles as Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the title role in “Rudy.”

In one of the film’s most powerful moments, Stock asks his team, “How do you want to be remembered?” The line eventually became the tagline for the movie.

In the commencement speech, Astin and Stock are expected to reflect on the championship season and the making of the motion picture.

While there is no set criteria on how to choose the speaker, the committee likes to look for speakers linked to current college events.

“We try to link it to something current and something happening at the college,” said Torgerson.

The committee thought this movie offered an excellent opportunity to invite the actor and alumnus. They found it very appropriate for a commencement speech.

“We thought it would be a cool thing to do,” said Torgerson. “We have received a lot of publicity from this movie.”

The honorary degrees committee that selected the speakers is comprised of three faculty members, the vice president of development and the president. The committee takes suggestions from the community and talks until they come to a consensus. Much of the decision involves the logistics of working with the speaker’s schedule.

“We extend invitations, but probably the biggest challenge is getting someone to commit,” said Torgerson.

Speakers in the past have given interesting speeches. Professor Emeritus Richard Simon Hanson once gave a speech centered around the crows that circle around Luther. Garrison Keillor was a commencement speaker in the early 1990s, talking for only two minutes and complaining about the heat and humidity of the outdoor ceremony.