Bill Wilkerson (1945 – November 2, 2017) was an American
radio personality
A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...
and
sports announcer
In sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present tense. There are two main types of sports broadcast ...
who enjoyed a long career on
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
stations
KMOX
KMOX (1120 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station is a 50,000 watt List of North American broadcast station classes, Class A clear-channel station with a omnidirectional ante ...
(1969–1996) and
KTRS (1996–2006).
Early life
Wilkerson was born and raised in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. He majored in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...
and received his B.A. at
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a system of public universities in the southern region of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its headquarters is in Carbondale, Illinois.
Board of trustees
The university is governed by the nine member SIU Board of T ...
in
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States, within the Southern Illinois region informally known as "Little Egypt". As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 25,083, making it the most po ...
, where he played football.
Radio career
In 1969, Wilkerson got his first job on
KMOX
KMOX (1120 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station is a 50,000 watt List of North American broadcast station classes, Class A clear-channel station with a omnidirectional ante ...
in
St. Louis
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. He partnered with
Bob Costas
Robert Quinlan Costas (born March 22, 1952) is an American sportscaster who is known for his long tenure with NBC Sports, from 1980 through 2019. He has received 28 Emmy awards for his work and was the prime-time host of 12 Olympic Games from ...
for the first year of
St. Louis Spirits (
ABA
ABA may refer to:
Aviation
* AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline
* IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia
Businesses and organizations Broadcasting
* Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...
), 1975–76. He served as a radio
play-by-play
In Broadcasting of sports events, sports broadcasting, a sports commentator (also known as a sports announcer or sportscaster) provides a real time (media), real-time live commentary of a game or event, traditionally delivered in the present t ...
announcer for
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...
("Big Red") football from 1973 until the team left for
Phoenix following the 1987 season, and returned for one season in 1994, the franchise's first as the Arizona Cardinals. He became the first black to be the main play-by-play man for an
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
team, and the first color announcer when he teamed up with
Dan Kelly to do
St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...
(
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
) games. He also broadcast
Missouri Tigers
The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the "Fighting Tigers of Columbia" who, in 1864, protected Columbia ...
football from 1976 until 1993. While handling football games, he also co-hosted KMOX's "Total Information AM" (The Morning Show) with
Bob Hardy and
Wendy Wiese for many years. He and Wiese changed stations in St. Louis for rival
KTRS in 1996. He retired from radio in 2006.
Personal life
He started
MPS Worldwide, a bulk chemical company after he retired from KTRS. He was a longtime board member of
Mathews-Dickey Boys' & Girls' Club in St. Louis, and served on the boards of the
American Red Cross
The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
,
St. Louis Children's Hospital, and the
St. Louis Zoological Society.
He is a member of the Mizzou Media Hall of Fame.
Death
Wilkerson died on November 2, 2017, at his home in
Florissant, Missouri
Florissant () is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri, within Greater St. Louis. It is a middle-class, second-ring northern suburb of St. Louis. Based on the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population ...
after a brief illness.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkerson, Bill
1945 births
2017 deaths
African-American radio personalities
African-American sports journalists
American Basketball Association announcers
American radio sports announcers
Culture of St. Louis
Journalists from St. Louis
Missouri Tigers football announcers
NFL announcers
National Hockey League broadcasters
People from Carbondale, Illinois
People from Florissant, Missouri
Radio personalities from St. Louis
Southern Illinois Salukis football players
St. Louis Blues announcers
St. Louis Cardinals (football) announcers
20th-century African-American people
21st-century African-American people