Three veteran sportswriters have been selected for induction into the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association (OPSMA) Hall of Fame. The 2026 class includes Denny McPherson from the Marion Star, Dan Messerschmidt from the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum and Crawford County Now, and Tom Puskar from the Ashland Times-Gazette and Mansfield News Journal.
The OPSMA Hall of Fame ceremony will be held during the OHSAA boys basketball state finals at the University of Dayton Arena on March 21. With these new inductees, a total of 81 sportswriters will have been honored since the Hall of Fame was established in 1983. The OPSMA itself was founded in 1972 to support and recognize high school sports coverage across Ohio.
Denny McPherson has spent 46 years covering high school and youth sports in Marion County. He began his career at The Lantern at The Ohio State University before joining the Marion Star, where he worked for 36 years. McPherson covered all six Marion County high schools and wrote weekly columns on golf and bowling. Even after retiring in 2015, he continues to keep the official basketball scorebook at Elgin High School.
McPherson has received several awards throughout his career, including the OHSAA’s Central District Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Media Service Award and recognition from local athletic organizations. He is also known for his contributions to bowling journalism in Marion County.
Dan Messerschmidt started as a fill-in stringer for the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum in 1987 and has continued reporting on Crawford County sports for nearly four decades. He served as president of what is now OPSMA and spent three decades with the Telegraph-Forum while also working outside journalism. In recent years, he became Sports Director for North Central Ohio Media group, managing online content and broadcast schedules.
Messerschmidt has earned multiple honors from OPSMA as well as being named Associated Press Columnist of the Year. Reflecting on his career, Messerschmidt said: “When Dan began, he looked at the old-timers of that era in awe — names like Randy Heath, Tom Metters, Odie O’Donnell, Hobart Wilson, Don Hohler, Dick Zunt — never imaging he would be mentioned among them.”
Tom Puskar is recognized for nearly forty years as a photojournalist documenting North Central Ohio sports moments. His career began with an internship at The Alliance Review while attending Mount Union College. He then joined the Ashland Times-Gazette for a distinguished tenure that included serving as Chief Photographer for over two decades.
Puskar played a key role in moving local newspapers from film to digital photography technology. Since 1990 he has freelanced nationally with Associated Press, covering major sporting events such as NFL and MLB games along with annual coverage of the Little League World Series between 2003–2024.
He also photographed major OHSAA tournaments over many years before leaving Ashland Times-Gazette in 2023; Puskar now freelances for Mansfield News Journal. About his personal life: “Tom and his wife of 15 years, Heather Beasley, recently moved into their newly built dream home in Richland County.”
More information about OPSMA can be found online.
