ST. LOUIS – Byron Shive, CEO & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, revealed its Class of 2023 St. Louis Enshrinement in a press conference Wednesday, an announcement that included two Missouri Baptist University alumni. Recently retired and longtime Missouri Baptist Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Dr. Tom Smith was joined by Spartan women's basketball standout and St. Louis sports executive Khalia Collier on the star-studded lineup.
 
Under Smith's direction as AD, Missouri Baptist won four NAIA national championships in women's indoor track & field (2006), women's outdoor track & field (2006), and women's volleyball (2020-21, 2021), two NAIA national invitational titles in men's volleyball (2015, 2016), an NCA Advanced Small Coed Cheer Championship (2023), and numerous individual champions in track & field and wrestling. The Spartans won 33 conference tournament championships and 23 regular-season titles, with Smith leading the department.
 
The graduate of Missouri Baptist College was recognized twice by NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) as an Under Armour AD of the Year in 2012-13 and 2019-20, and five times as American Midwest Conference (AMC) AD of the Year (2004-05, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2018-19, 2022-23).
 
Along the way, Dr. Smith infused more than 400 additional student-athletes on MBU's campus by creating 18 new athletic programs at the varsity and junior varsity levels. Smith was also instrumental in forming the Spartan Athletics Hall of Fame, which now features roughly 70 members and spans 14 sports. The future MBU Athletics Hall of Famer was inducted into the Parkway School District Hall of Fame in 2014, where he now serves as President of the Parkway Alumni Association.
 
Collier, who graduated with a B.S. in Communications Studies from Missouri Baptist, is being honored for her success and impact as a sports executive in St. Louis. She is the owner of St. Louis Surge, a professional women's basketball team, a venture she began a decade ago at just 23 years old. In her time as Surge owner, the team has won two national championships in the Global Women's Basketball Association.
 
In 2020, Collier was named Vice President of Community Relations for St. Louis City SC, the newest Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion team. Last September, Collier accepted a position back in basketball as Vice President and Chief of Staff of Basketball Operations for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
 
The Fort Zumwalt High School graduate boasts numerous honors, including the St. Louis Business Journal's 30 Under 30, DELUX Power 100, Glamour's Missouri Woman of the Year, and the prestigious Jack Buck Award for community impact.
 
Other big names on the list for the St. Louis Enshrinement, presented by Great Southern Bank, include the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright, Rams' Todd Lyght, Blues' Barret Jackman, NASCAR's Kenny Wallace, and sportswriter and radio personality Bernie Miklasz.
 
The group, which features 19 individuals and four teams, will be officially inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday, November 19, at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.
 
"This is a great class, and we're excited to be recognizing each individual, as well as each team and program," Shive said. "All have made sports fun and exciting, and we invite the St. Louis community to join us in recognizing them on their special day.
 
Individual tickets for the enshrinement ceremony are $150. Sponsorship tables of 10 are available for $1,500 and include recognition at the table and in the printed program. Other sponsorships and congratulatory ads are available. The event is a fundraiser for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit in its 29^th year of existence. For tickets, call (417) 889-3100.