Indiana University Athletics
Kleinschmidt's Connection to the Mannings
9/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 7, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. The Nicholls State-Indiana game may mark the first-ever meeting between the two schools, but IU senior wide receiver Rhett Kleinschmidt is no stranger to the Colonels' campus in Thibodaux, La. Kleinschmidt, a fifth-year senior wide receiver from Metairie, La., has spent the last nine years as either a camper or a counselor at the renowned Manning Passing Academy, which held its most recent session July 7-10, 2005, at Nicholls State.
The Manning Passing Academy was established in 1995 by former New Orleans Saints All-Pro quarterback Archie Manning and his three football-playing sons: Cooper, Indianapolis Colt All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning and New York Giant quarterback Eli Manning.
Kleinschmidt may have spent the last nine years at the Manning Passing Academy, but his connection to the Manning family goes well beyond summer camp. Kleinschmidt's father, Dean, the Hoosiers' head football trainer, was the Saints' assistant and head trainer from 1969-2000.
"My dad and Archie are very close friends, and they have always taken an interest in each other's families," Rhett Kleinschmidt said. "I spent a lot of time with my dad when he worked with the Saints. Being around the training room, I saw a lot of players come and go. I knew all the numbers and the stats. That experience (with the Saints) really helped me get into football."
Kleinschmidt first attended the Manning Passing Academy prior to his freshman year at St. Martin Episcopal in 1996 and continued each summer throughout his high school career. He went on to letter in football, soccer and track and field at St. Martin's Episcopal, often facing off against Eli Manning and Newman High School.
"Those were the only games where scouts were there," Kleinschmidt laughed. "Not to see me, but to see Eli."
Don't read too much into Kleinschmidt's self-deprecating humor.
"The summer after my senior year of high school, Archie invited me to come back as a counselor," Kleinschmidt recalled. "He said `You know what's going on as well as anyone.' "
Indeed, Kleinschmidt could well qualify as one of the camp's patriarchs.
"I remember one year that the camp brochure said that (Green Bay Packers' All-Pro) Brett Favre was supposed to be there, and he ended up having to cancel at the last minute," Kleinschmidt said. "I can't tell you how many kids were disappointed. But that is what really spurred the national interest in the camp. Guys like Favre, (Colts' All-Pro receiver) Marvin Harrison, Brandon Stokley started coming down, and that drew kids from the towns in which the pros played."
According to Kleinschmidt, you cannot put a value on such quality instruction.
"The interaction between the campers and the counselors is unbelievable," Kleinschmidt said. "It's a relaxed environment, with no college recruiters around. Every camper gets to catch a pass from Peyton and Eli. As a counselor, it's great to be around the pro players as well as some outstanding college players - David Greene at Georgia, Erik Ainge at Tennessee, Martin Nance at Miami (Ohio), LSU's JaMarcus Russell."
As you might imagine, the campers do not underestimate their opportunity.
"The campers love to ask a lot of questions of us, how we got to where we are, the work ethic it takes to play college and/or pro football," Kleinschmidt said. "One thing I noticed this past summer compared to previous summers is that there is a lot of interest in the Hoosiers and our outlook for the season."
Kleinschmidt may wrap up his college career this season, but his lifelong involvement in sports, especially football, will continue.
"It has been extremely rewarding as a counselor to see kids apply what you teach them," Kleinschmidt replied when asked about a future in coaching. "But one of the reasons that I came to Indiana was because it offered a broadcasting emphasis in the sports communication program. I was heavily involved with speech and debate in high school, so this would allow me to combine two of my favorite interests - public speaking and sports."
Rhett Kleinschmidt is bound for success in any endeavor, thanks in large part to his proper outlook on life. As if he needs any reminder, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina reinforces this point.
Dean Kleinschmidt and his wife, Marlene, have two children - Rhett and a daughter, Morgan. When Dean joined in the IU staff last August, the family decided that Marlene and Morgan would stay in New Orleans until Morgan finished middle school in June 2006. Thankfully, Marlene and Morgan evacuated New Orleans to avoid the hurricane, and Dean and Rhett have followed television and Internet coverage of the natural disaster.
"You go to college to earn a degree and plan for the future, but it could all be gone in a blink of an eye," Rhett Kleinschmidt said. "It's like (IU) Coach (Terry) Hoeppner says, `Have a plan, work a plan and plan for the unexpected."
