An Asheville, North Carolina native, Messer was a member of the Marines during World War II in the South Pacific. After the war, he worked as a broadcaster in minor league baseball including the Richmond Virginians of the International League from 1954 to 1963. He got his major-league break when he joined the Baltimore Orioles and worked alongside their noted longtime voice, Chuck Thompson. In 1966, the year Bill O'Donnell also joined the broadcast crew, the O's won their first world championship. Messer also called Baltimore Colts football during the 1960s including the 1964 NFL Championship Game with John Steadman.