For Tom Jacobs, the journey back to the metro is full circle. A Shawnee Mission North High School graduate and University of Kansas alum, Jacobs has spent decades shaping college athletics from the boardrooms of the NCAA, the Atlantic 10 Conference and the U.S. Tennis Association. Now, as CEO and executive director of the College Baseball Foundation and its Hall of Fame, he’s taking on perhaps his most personal project yet—bringing college baseball’s legacy home to the heart of the Midwest. 

Under his leadership, a permanent home for the Hall of Fame inside the Museum at Prairiefire has come to fruition and is set to open in 2026. The museum will celebrate generations of players, coaches and fans who have contributed to college baseball.

It’s a project that blends Jacobs’ lifelong love of the game with his deep Kansas roots. “This isn’t just a museum,” Jacobs says. “It’s a celebration of who we are—our history, our communities and the way baseball connects us.”

Kansas City magazine recently connected with Jacobs about heading up the Hall of Fame and his vision for the organization.

What makes the Prairiefire museum a great location for the College Baseball Hall of Fame Museum? So many reasons. Kansas City is a sports town. With the Museum at Prairiefire, we are part of a thriving development in an iconic museum with the ability to move into outstanding museum-quality, museum-ready space that will be designed and built out with a world-class team at Populous, [the architecture firm] based here in Kansas City.

It’s wonderful when work and passion come together. This seems to be the case with you and your career. Is this true? It absolutely is. I had the good fortune of being involved with the athletic department at KU as an undergrad, specifically with the organization and operation of the Kansas Relays, [a three-day track event]. It was around my junior year that a spark was ignited and I realized I could pursue and wanted to pursue working in sports as a career.

What is it about this position that enticed you? The passion I have for the mission and values that college sports represent—having worked in college athletics for my career in various capacities—and specifically in this case with the College Baseball Foundation and College Baseball Hall of Fame. We have an outstanding Board of Trustees that have a shared mission, values and purpose. And the opportunity to have a physical Hall of Fame, where the legacies can be preserved and stories shared about those who are in the Hall of Fame—the opportunity to have an exciting, vibrant attraction that folks, young and old, will enjoy visiting time and time again.

How do you envision the future of the Hall of Fame? We want to become part of the fabric of Kansas City and the region—a place that people will enjoy visiting from near and far. You come to Kansas City, and here are the things you need to do, the things you need to experience, whether that’s having great BBQ (and all the other great food KC is known for) or visiting attractions like the College Baseball Hall of Fame. We want to continue to represent, tell the stories and celebrate all levels of college baseball.

What do you see as the Hall of Fame’s mission? To preserve, elevate and advance the game. To inspire the next generation. To teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions. To celebrate those who make college baseball special. To honor those who have come before us and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today. And if you take the start of each of those items, you get “PITCH!”: Preserve, Inspire, Teach, Celebrate, Honor. We honor the past, celebrate the present and inspire the future.

Tell us about the fundraising goals and needs for the Hall of Fame. We are raising the funds necessary to make this a reality with an opening in the summer of 2026. This is being done across multiple fronts—both from an individual and corporate side. For those interested in supporting the efforts of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, we are a 501(c)(3), and donations are tax deductible.

Was that your favorite sport as a kid? Baseball was my first love, but I played multiple sports growing up. Basically whatever season it was, I was involved in that sport—football and then soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summertime.