Sam Kelner followed his fervent passion of intramural sports all to way to his dream job as Intramurals and Sports Clubs Program Manager at Saint Louis University.
Kelner, a St. Louis native, discovered his affinity for intramural sports during his college years at the University of Houston. Whenever he was not studying toward a degree in marketing and hotel management, Kelner could be found on the intramural fields and courts.
“If there was an open spot on any team, no matter what the sport, I was more than willing to play,” Kelner said.
He says that it was during those games when he found the true meaning of his college experience.
“Twenty years from now, you are not going to remember very much from that freshman algebra class,” he said. “But the glory from beating the rival fraternity in a the championship football game, that will never fade.”
After college, Kelner put his marketing degree to use as he worked as a morning DJ for a Houston radio station. He went by the on-air name of “Sudden Sam” and promoted tickets for the station in the mornings. But deep down, he knew his long-term future did not include the broadcast marketing field.
Kelner found his way back to the intramural fields once again, becoming director of intramurals for the University of Houston’s upstart satellite campus, located in downtown Houston.
Coordinating an intramural program at a less prestigious school provided its fair share of challenges, due to a limited budget and a lack of an actual recreation facility. Since the playing fields were so spread out, making sure proper equipment and referees were present at the games became a common problem.
“My station wagon essentially became my mobile office,” said Kelner. “I would load it up with all the gear and referees, and we’d drive to wherever in the city the games were going to be that night.”
Kelner was inspired by the way the students competed on the field. The school had a very diverse student population, and Kelner loved how everyone made a positive impact on the intramural programs.
“What I loved about intramural sports at Houston was how no matter what your background, race or religion was, everyone was equal on those fields.”
It was this love of the student body dynamic that led him to work hard to get the campus its own recreational center.
He worked with construction and flooring companies to help get deals for the school to make the project as affordable as possible, and finally, in 1997, the University of Houston’s downtown satellite campus officially opened a student recreation center.
He did not get to see his dream of the recreation center in action, though, because Kelner decided to move back to St. Louis to take care of his ailing mother.
Kelner quickly got the job as intramural coordinator at SLU and has never looked back.
He has seen the intramural program blossom, with roughly 2,000 students participating in the program last semester.
Kelner’s open-minded and enthusiastic approach has helped SLU’s intramurals program progress to what it is today, with hopes that it will continue to grow. As for now though, Kelner is just living the dream.
