The late Bill Van Horne was the dean of Ohio Valley sportswriters during a legendary newspaper career that spanned 53 years. Van Horne was sports editor at both The Times-Leader for 25 years and the Wheeling News-Register for 28 years. During his writing tenure, Van Horne was recognized by his peers as the most informational and influential writer in Ohio Valley history. His work with the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (the largest conference in the United States) over the years was especially instrumental in the success and popularity of wrestling throughout the entire Ohio Valley. In fact, Van Horne was the second recipient of OVAC wrestling's "Mr. Mat" Award in 1977. His promotion of wrestling in the Northern Panhandle was nonpareil. His columns, "Van Horne on Sports", were masterpiece chronicles of the lives of others. His pre-season wrestling previews of local high school mat programs filled nearly two sports pages with detailed wrestler profiles. And during the season, Bill interviewed numerous wrestlers and coaches, spotlighting their accomplishments. A giant in his field and a role model for aspiring writers, Van Horne was admired and respected for his integrity, dedication, fairness, knowledge and compassion. Numerous awards and honors were bestowed on.Vau Horne. The Upper Ohio Valley Dapper Dan Club named him Man of the Year in 1993. He was selected as the West Virginia Wrestling Sportswriter of the Year 3 times. Bill was a gigantic patron of wrestling in the Wheeling area and across the entire state. He truly loved the mat sport. Accepting the award on Bill's behalf is his devoted wife Gladys.