Tom Ackerman USBWA College Basketball Awards

Master of Ceremonies

Tom Ackerman is Sports Director at KMOX, overseeing a department that serves as the flagship station for the St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Blues. He is also the lead sports anchor on KMOX’s “Total Information A.M.” and a host on the Cardinals Radio Network.

In 1997, KMOX Radio hired Ackerman to work as a host, play-by-play announcer, anchor and reporter. He’s interviewed the biggest names in sports, covering Super Bowls, World Series, All-Star Games and Final Fours. He’s traveled throughout the NFL, launching his career in 1999 with his extensive coverage of the Rams’ Super Bowl title.

For the past decade, Ackerman has called college basketball play-by-play for the University of Missouri, the Missouri Valley Conference and various national rivalry games, including Syracuse-Georgetown, Kansas-Kansas State and North Carolina-N.C. State. He’s also handled play-by-play duties for the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

In addition to the Jack Buck Awards, Ackerman emcees dozens of area events each year. A member of the “Red Ribbon Panel” that votes on the Cardinals Hall of Fame, Ackerman is also involved in the production of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Dinner, the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame induction and the Musial Awards. Ackerman has performed as a narrator for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and a public address announcer at the Edward Jones Dome.

Active in the community, Ackerman has a passion for helping local charities, volunteering for countless organizations each year. In 2013, Mathews-Dickey Boys’ and Girls’ Club honored Ackerman for his role in raising funds to improve sports facilities for children in the inner city.

Ackerman is a past recipient of the Riverfront Times’ “Best Reporter” (Radio/TV) award and has been recognized and featured in the St. Louis Business Journal.

Ackerman began his broadcasting career calling play-by-play for Indiana University basketball, football, and baseball for WIUS-AM in Bloomington (1993-1997). A St. Louis native, Tom is a graduate of Indiana University and St. Louis Country Day School. He and his wife, Angie, live in St. Louis with their daughters, Erika and Audrey.

Michelle Smallmon

Q&A Moderator

Michelle Smallmon is one of the most sought-after radio hosts in sports media. Formerly a sports talk host at 101 ESPN in St. Louis, the Belleville, IL native was the first woman on-air at the radio station and the first to have her name on a show, Karraker & Smallmon. Last year, Smallmon headed to New York to host overnight SportsCenter updates on ESPN Radio.

Smallmon graduated from the University of Illinois with a broadcast journalism degree, beginning her career at KSDK where she was mentored by sportscasters Frank Cusumano and Rene Knott. She then moved on to 101 ESPN for the first time, where she worked as a producer and sportscaster on The Fast Lane. Smallmon briefly worked at ESPN headquarters in Connecticut before returning to St. Louis. In 2020, she began co-hosting Karraker & Smallmon alongside Randy Karraker. Fans of the show praised Smallmon for her work, giving a voice to women in the sports world. While her work in New York will no doubt propel her career even further, Smallmon is proud to call St. Louis her home. With the launch of St. Louis CITY SC, there’s a lot more content for her to cover from the Big Apple. Smallmon recently launched a soccer podcast with Moon Valjean of 105.7 The Point.