CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto was named Best Sports Columnist in the 86th National Headliner Awards announced Friday.

“Terry Pluto writes with passion and authority and, best of all, a point of view. He isn’t afraid to call out team ownership, coaches and players, which is what a columnist should do. A strong voice in a sea of chatter,’’ judges wrote in comments about Pluto’s entries.

Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News placed second and Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press was third.

Pluto’s Headliner entry included the back story on how the Cleveland Cavaliers became interested in hiring Coach John Beilein (“It started at a wedding”), a column from the Browns-Steelers game that ended in a brawl (“Will they finally get the message that something is wrong?”) and the Browns finishing the season with a loss and unmet expectations. (“Season finally over, change must be coming”).

Pluto has won numerous Ohio and national writing and reporting awards in a 43-year career. He also has worked at the Akron Beacon Journal, Baltimore Evening Sun and two other papers. He is in his 13th year of his second stay at The Plain Dealer.

Pluto is a member of the Press Club of Cleveland’s Hall of Fame and in 2008 was its first recipient of the Chuck Heaton Award, given to the journalist who “best exemplifies the sensitivity and humility that, along with his journalism heart, were traits exhibited by Chuck Heaton during his exemplary career as a sports writer at The Plain Dealer.’’

Pluto, a graduate of Benedictine High School and Cleveland State, also writes a regular “Faith & You” column for The Plain Dealer and has authored more than 30 books about sports, religion and other topics.