Amidst the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s boys basketball state championship games Sunday, Wilmington News Journal Sports Editor Mark Huber was inducted into the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association (OPSWA) Hall of Fame.
He and two other veteran sportswriters were scheduled to be inductees in 2020, but their public recognition for the statewide honor was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The OPSWA stated this about Huber: “Mark Huber became the sports editor of the Wilmington News Journal in 1987 after working at the newspaper since the late 1970s as a part-time sportswriter. While at the News Journal, he has served in various capacities, including editor, assistant editor, general assignment reporter and in the graphics department. In his 25 years [now 27 years] as the sports editor, Huber has earned numerous awards from The Associated Press, the OPSWA and across the newspaper company. He lives in Wilmington with his wife, Elizabeth, and children Gehrig, Adalee and Aaron.”
According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association website, “The purpose of the OPSWA Hall of Fame is to honor Ohio sportswriters who have made significant contributions to the field of prep sports writing.”
When the selection was first announced in December 2019, Huber said, “I am honored to be considered among the best in Ohio because there are so many hard-working, talented sportswriters that I’ve crossed paths with over the years.”
He added, “To be thought of in the same group with fellow OPSWA Hall of Famers like Steve Blackledge [a former News Journal sports editor], Marc Pendleton and Dave Long is humbling, to say the least. I learned from each of those guys over the years as we worked together to help cover student-athletes in our area.”
News Journal Editor Tom Barr said, “Mark is the absolute best at his craft. He’s a great writer, reporter, editor and photographer, as well as great to work with. And he not only strives to cover local sports to the best of his ability, he cares deeply about the Clinton County community and its student-athletes, coaches and schools.”
Huber, who is a graduate of Blanchester High School, started the Clinton County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997, helping to honor the sports heroes of our county’s past. In addition, he was involved in 2012 in the formation of the News Journal Scholar-Athlete Award, recognizing local high school senior athletes each year who excel in the classroom as well as the field of play.
The other two newly inducted Hall of Famers are Craig Dunn of The Logan Daily News, and Pat Galbincea, a Cleveland Plain Dealer sports reporter who retired in 2013. He was recognized posthumously, having died in May 2021.
The Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association was created 50 years ago in 1972 to support, promote and recognize the coverage of high school sports across Ohio.
