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Kosar shares lessons on success and failure
YOUNGSTOWN
Bernie Kosar didn’t attend Cardinal Mooney High School.
He didn’t help the Cardinal win any of their eight football state titles, or play for any of the dozen or so college coaches that graduated from Mooney.
But at the first day of school’s annual “Camp of Champions,” Kosar delivered a message that transcended high school affiliation.
“It’s easy to handle success, right?” Kosar asked the nearly 200 campers in grades 3-8 inside the gymnasium at Cardinal Mooney High School.
“That’s the fun part. But it’s how you handle adversity, and not just in sports, that defines you as a person.
“Failure isn’t always avoidable, but as long as long as you look yourself in the mirror and can say you tried your hardest and did everything you possibly could to succeed, then that’s all that matters.”
Kosar, 51, graduated from Boardman High School in 1982 and is a champion himself. He was the starting quarterback at the University of Miami as a redshirt freshman and was named MVP of the Orange Bowl in the Hurricanes’ first national championship.
He was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys team that won Super Bowl XXVIII.
His successes and indiscretions have been well documented over time, but it was his Youngstown family that the former Cleveland Browns quarterback knew he could always come back to.
“I played in a lot of big football games in my lifetime, but I still remember going to camps growing up here and sitting where you guys are sitting today,” Kosar said. “Don’t let this go in one ear and out the other.
“As long as you stick together, and have your brothers, you’ll be just fine.”
Mooney graduate Kyle McCarthy also found himself in need of support, only for a much more serious reason.
McCarthy was the quarterback for the Cardinals in 2004 when the school won it fifth state title. He went on to play safety at Notre Dame, where he led the team in tackles two years in a row.
After appearing in 12 games over three NFL seasons, knee injuries forced McCarthy to retire in January of 2014. However he was faced with his toughest test last July, when he was diagnosed with Stage 3 testicular cancer.
The support he received in the months to follow told him everything he needed to know about where he grew up. Now, he’s just trying to return the favor.
“It’s awesome to be back here with the Mooney family,” said McCarthy, who is now cancer-free and in the early stages of a new career with the California-based sports agency, Athletes First.
“Just the strong bonds that you form here, and the tradition, to come back and support it all is great.”
From Kosar to McCarthy, it’s evident that bond doesn’t care where you went to high school.
“It’s from all over the Mahoning Valley,” McCarthy said. “Whether you’re from Mooney, Ursuline, Boardman, wherever. The people of the Valley are truly a special kind and they’re the same people that take pride in giving back.”
While Kosar was only in attendance to speak at the “Camp of Champions,” the rest of the morning was filled with instruction from some of Mooney’s most notable alumni. University of Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops, and his brother, Ron, along with Bo and Carl Pelini were among those out on the field on Monday.
“Ron [Stoops] is a superstar,” McCarthy said of the YSU co-defensive coordinator. “He’s behind the scenes on all of this and he’s not one to look for attention or be in the spotlight, but this town and Cardinal Mooney owe a lot to what these great coaches have done.”
The camp wraps up with day two today.