StM News

For siblings Rhett ’01 and Morgan Kleinschmidt ’10, St. Martin’s Episcopal School was more than just a place of learning, it was the foundation for lives built on Faith, Scholarship, and Service. Guided by these core values, both found their way into dynamic careers in sports, where storytelling, discipline, and connection take center stage. In this interview, they reflect on how their time at StM helped shape their passions, and how seeds of inspiration may have been planted long before their first professional roles.

Rhett is a sports broadcaster who hosts and serves as a commentator / analyst for a variety of sports networks including the NFL Network, SiriusXM and SiriusXM College, and the Big Ten Network. Morgan is the Chief of Staff for G3 Marketing, and previously served as the Senior Manager of Team Development for the Houston Texans. 

What do you first think about when you think back to St. Martin's?

MK: I would genuinely say that I just made the best memories here! For me, the first thing that comes to mind would definitely be the teachers. Even as I got out of my car to come visit today, I saw a former teacher right away, which is just the most St. Martin's thing you could think of. People don't ever want to leave here; I feel like that’s the ultimate testament to St. Martin’s and the environment that it fosters. 

RK: Well, I still think about it daily, because I interact with it daily - it's the friendships, it’s the connections I made. The first sleepover I ever had was at Brandon Lobell's house in Kindergarten, and now my kids and his kids have sleepovers at his house whenever we're in town. I think that having a smaller, more intimate classroom setting made a sort of closeness that fostered those relationships. 

I have remained super close with those guys who were with me in the 13- or 14-Year Club, as well as with those who came later in Lower or Middle School. During our Junior year, in 2000, we started our own Fantasy Football League in the [Martin Family] Library. That’s when Fantasy Football was still in its infancy, and this has kept us together. We just celebrated our league’s 25th anniversary! We call it the Dozier Cup. 

Honestly, so many of my St. Martin’s relationships were fostered through shared experiences and being a part of sports teams together. I think back on it now and I want so badly for my kids to develop that same type of relationship with their friends. The groundwork of it all was laid between Haring Road and Green Acres!

Who were your most influential teachers at St. Martin’s? 

RK: I think back to Jimmy Cox's speech classes, which were the first time that I truly connected with being in front of people and performing. As part of this class, you had to compete in a speech tournament, and I ended up winning the tournament the first time I was there! That was surprising, and I remember thinking “okay, this is kind of cool!” I continued to take Speech as an elective, which really encouraged my confidence, and I even tried Theatre. My classmate, Jeff Glaser, was sort of the intermediary between those two worlds for me, we did a lot of performances together for speech.

I would also say Ms. Menson’s Economics class my Sophomore year really stands out for me, whether it was the subject matter or the sense of patriotism tied to it. That class led to one of the few A+ grades I received in high school and opened the door to taking AP American History with the amazing Doc Mooney, which really gave me a sense of accomplishment.

I also had so many influential coaches, and I think about Coach McGeehan every summer when I go to the Manning Passing Academy. I’m working with a bunch of kids, and every time we break it down, the first thing I always tell them is, “Look it in, tuck it away!” And of course, Coach Dozier would always tell us, “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” I can hear him saying it all the time. 

MK: Coach McGeehan had such a significant impact on my time at St. Martin’s, too. He was my senior advisor as well as a coach, and he made everyone feel important and valued, and really just took you as you were. He is someone I think about often, and I appreciate the time that we got to spend with him on and off the field. 

Also, in First Grade, I was fortunate enough to be in Ms. Bozeman’s class, she was Miss Woods at the time, and she really just made learning so fun for us, and I’m so happy she is still here because like so many long-time StM teachers, she is committed to the growing young minds and making sure that the next generation is well equipped for success in the real world. She really helped shape my love for learning and was a great teacher. For a while, growing up, I wanted to be a teacher because of the influence she had on me. Me and Frances (Truett Roney) were best friends growing up, since Kindergarten, and she made it happen and is able to live out our dreams of being a St. Martin’s teacher, like Ms. Bozeman! 

What St. Martin's traditions do you cherish the most? 

RK: St. Martin's Day! I remember being in Lower School and being paired with a buddy who was in high school, like Edmund Dieth [’93] or Jason Conway [’95]. Those guys were larger than life to us, as football players. It was so special getting to spend the day with them and then, as we got older and grew into that age ourselves, then having a similar experience of getting to buddy up with the younger kids, and then having a half day and kicking off a great weekend! That was so special. That’s definitely one of my favorite StM traditions.

I realize there’s something about Fridays in my memories when I think back. I would have to say that Friday lunch leave when we were juniors was the first real taste of freedom, that was special! And I guess I really think back to Fridays, because football Fridays, and wearing your jersey to school, that was a huge point of pride.

You graduated nine years apart, talk about how this school connected you as siblings. 

MK: What was so special about St. Martin’s is that everyone from Pre-K through 12th grade is together on the same campus, so even though we’re eight and a half years apart, I’d see my big brother around campus, like when I was heading to lunch and he was running off to a class, and those little moments made such a big impact. What made it even better was that his friends all knew me and were so kind. I could really look up to the high school girls. My friends and I would see them all the time, and they were such incredible people and really strong role models. They’d say hi and it made me feel like I belonged. 

How did you feel when you left St. Martin's for college?

RK: If you asked me that question then, I would have said ready! I was ready to go, and it’s not that I wanted to leave, but I felt like I was ready for the next step and the next challenge. 

MK: I felt like I had a really good handle on the process of being a student - it might sound a little silly, but knowing how to be organized and come prepared to class was important in a big school. At St. Martin’s, I feel like being a student is such a privilege because you're not just a name or a number, teachers really invest in you here, so then going to such a big college, you're suddenly a number on a roll list. So if you're not prepared and you don't know how to study, or how to make the most of your time in and out of the classroom, you just fall through the cracks. I knew how to advocate for myself, how to ask for that extra help. I'm grateful for the skills that I learned in the StM classroom that helped set me up for success. 

Is there something that you find yourself thinking about almost every day from your days at St.Martin's?

RK: I think about being a part of Mrs. Schuber’s Admissions Club, it kind of thrust me into a spotlight that I wasn't all that familiar with at the time. It’s Open House and we’ve got a group of 50 prospective parents coming, and I remember being so scared and anxious because the one thing that I really wanted to say was about the friendships and closeness of these classes in this environment was that St. Martin's is like the show “Cheers” where everybody knows your name! And I remember she said that was OK, so there I am, a 14-year-old, standing up in front of all of these parents, talking about how StM is like “Cheers!” I think that’s what’s so important about this environment, and thinking back on it really brings up such strong feelings, and I would say collectively these experiences and people prepared me and fostered that love of those paths.

MK: Having the opportunity to go to chapel every week and participate as an acolyte or a reader, or taking religion classes helped make faith a central part of my life from a young age. That consistency—week after week—helped strengthen my faith in a way that I know not everyone gets to experience in school. I was even nominated for the religion award during my freshman or sophomore year, which meant a lot to me. Beyond chapel and class, the emphasis on service was also so meaningful. We were exposed to different nonprofit organizations and found ways to give back to our community, which shaped my understanding of how faith and action go hand in hand. I recall that Fr. Millican had a gift for making the messages of faith relatable and engaging, which really deepened my understanding and excitement for learning about it. It's something truly unique and impactful that St. Martin’s offers.

How do you think your time at St. Martin’s shaped the person you are today?

MK: Honestly, the combination of Faith, Scholarship, and Service is how I try to live my life every day. Those principles were ingrained in me from an early start, and have become a core part of who I am. I was able to learn that in Kindergarten, and I believe that’s one of the special things about being able to go all the way through a school is that those types of values really become the fabric of who you are. I'm so grateful these are instilled here at such a young age, and teachers are able to go that in depth with the kids, and as you grow up here, you’re still able to see those teachers as you pass through the grades, and they check in on you, and genuinely want to know about your progress. People here really care!

RK: I do think something that was built at St. Martin's was the element of service, whether it was my time in Admissions Club or just serving the greater purpose of St. Martin's and bringing others to be a part of it as well. There was something about seeing our shield process through chapel or at assembly each week, and always seeing it displayed on the school banner, that it just gets ingrained, so I think about the service aspect a lot, and the way my wife and I are raising our boys, it’s something that I think about daily. I think the industry I'm in - media - was initially a service of information. Sure, it’s now more a service of entertainment, but I do feel like we are providing something to the consumer that way. 

MK: I think we learned a way of giving back and volunteering during every grade level and from every different teacher, which made giving back unique and special. I remember in Lower School with Mrs. Perret [Margaret Budde], we made sock babies, for parents whose babies were at East Jefferson General Hospital, in the NICU, and you would put the sock baby in the incubator with the baby, and then their mother could take the sock baby home so that they could have the scent of their baby while they were away. In high school, we got to do different service projects and there was always an opportunity for us to give back, and I never missed those because it was my favorite way to get involved. 

Talk about your family's connection to athletics, especially football. Did you always know you wanted to go into the sports industry, and where did that influence start?  

RK: Some of my greatest memories growing up were inside the Superdome with my dad, who was with the Saints for almost my entire St. Martin's life, right up until junior year. I was drawn to sports as a lifestyle, it was a part of my home life, and what I mentioned about my memories from St. Martin's Day and getting to be around those football players and seeing the closeness they shared as team members, it really had an impact on me. It drew me in, hook, line, and sinker, from the first time I was in the locker room with my dad.

MK: I always enjoyed being a part of team sports growing up, which I feel is invaluable. Sports build resilience. Sports prepare you for so many things in life - being part of a team, working together with people, working through challenges and obstacles toward a common goal. Plus, sports build leadership. I remember being in high school soccer and actively encouraging my teammates to come to our extra practices over winter break, and that stands out to me because I feel like a part of leadership is helping encourage people to rise to be the best version of themselves, and finding ways to make it exciting! 

RK: Football became a path that really appealed to me, and I found that I was pretty good at it, which kept me motivated. And then there was Speech, which was something else I found that I was pretty good at, so that encouraged me to think about how I could do both, and this is it. Then I did my internship my senior year with Jim Henderson at WWL, and at that point I realized this is what I want to do. That's how I developed a life in football and a life in sports news, and so much of it started at St. Martin’s! 

MK: For my Senior Internship, I did mine with the Zephyrs in their marketing department, which gave me great exposure and showed me how important internships were. It was an invaluable experience for me! I went on to study sports administration at LSU and had a minor in business administration as well as leadership development. I knew that I wanted to do something in sports, but I hadn’t realized there was a whole major for it, so I started in business administration and quickly started finding out about the different avenues that are available within sports and all the different jobs. I was fortunate to really be able to find something that I was super passionate about, which was combining the service platform and the community outreach area. So finding an area for me to help elevate people in the sports world and really lend a hand to others is something that really has meant a lot to me. 

What do you find most rewarding about what you get to do now?

RK: As part of my work for Big Ten Network, I go to games every Saturday in the fall, and I have to say being a part of a game broadcast fills my bucket like no other. And then I use that information now in the spring to talk about the NFL draft for the next four months. It's like the bridge, and this season is what I really love in talking about the college players' transition to the NFL. That really drives me this time of year, and I'm actually busier now through the first weekend of May than I am sometimes during the season. 

MK: Over the course of my 11 years working at the NFL level, I've had the opportunity to help professional athletes use their platform for good. Basically, I would gain an understanding of where players’ passions lie, and help identify ways for them to inspire others and maximize their time and leverage opportunities to help others. With that, of course, come some really high highs and some really low lows. I mean, everyone sees what happens on Sundays for teams in the NFL, and there is so much more that goes into it during the week. My role has been helping make sure that the players are supported off the field in a way that helps them build a good foundation, and feel solid about the work they’re doing. 

Lastly, what advice do you have for our students, particularly those preparing for college and beyond?

RK: OK, well one thing that I wish that I would have known more about when going into college and certainly during those first few years out of college is financial literacy; it is the most practical thing that you are going to interact with on a day to day basis!

MK: There’s this quote in football - “Be humble enough to prepare and confident enough to perform.” For me, that means never stop being a student, never stop learning. Basically, be humble enough to take advice and even criticism, but have confidence and trust your training. For me, it was that I built a strong foundation that started here, so really rely on who you are as a person and you can make it pretty far. 

RK: I also would say to be willing to get out of your comfort zone. If you have been in St. Martin's, whether it's for just a year or for 14 years, those relationships that you foster build such a strong foundation, so I would encourage students to challenge themselves and go somewhere where maybe you don't know a lot of people. Maybe you can challenge yourself to learn more about a different area of the country. And that's kind of what it was like for me, going to Indiana. I went to a huge school, hundreds of miles away from home, and didn't know anyone else. But then I come back home and it's like I didn't miss a beat. Something about the St. Martin’s environment allows you to feel that way about those people you spent that much time with, you can immediately pick right up with them after several years and there’s just that instant connection.