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Bernie Kosar comes home to Boardman
By BOB ETTINGER
BOARDMAN
There are few people who go through athletic programs who truly represents everything that program stands for. Boardman brought back one of those rare people who represents what a Spartan is to help the district celebrate its 100th anniversary on Friday night.
“We’re celebrating 100 years and tonight the focus is on athletics,” superintendent Tim Saxton said Friday night before the district-wide pep rally in anticipation of the Spartans’ game with rival Cardinal Mooney. “I think if there’s one person who represents Boardman, it’s Bernie Kosar. Back in the ’80s, he truly put Boardman on the map. He went on to play at the University of Miami and with the Cleveland Browns. He needs to be a part of this. I’m glad he came out to join us.”
Kosar was a Parade magazine All-American as a senior for Boardman in 1982, served as a pitcher on the baseball team and played basketball. He went on to play at the University of Miami where he quarterbacked Howard Schnellenberger’s Hurricanes to their first national championship with the famous 31-30 Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska as a redshirt freshman in 1983. He finished fourth in Heisman trophy voting that season.
After graduating early with a double major in finance and economics, Kosar joined the Cleveland Browns. He led the team to three appearances in the AFC Championship game during a four-year span. After his release from the Browns, he joined old college coach Jimmy Johnson in Dallas where he won a Super Bowl ring in 1993 before moving on to the Miami Dolphins to finish his 12-year career, again playing under Johnson.
It was his time in Boardman, though, that served as Kosar’s foundation for everything to come. He was on hand for the celebration where he spoke to the football team, said a few words at the pep rally, signed copies of his new book, “Learning to Scramble,” and watched the first half of the Spartans’ 21-7 loss.
“It’s very humbling,” Kosar said. “The simple version is I grew up here. They have amazing facilities here. It’s amazing how much it’s grown, but I get the same feeling. It’s the same locker room, the same coach’s office.
“I spent so much time here. When I spoke to the team, and I did mean this, I told them that the fundamentals at the core of my DNA that resides inside me comes from here. The things I learned in my formative years define me. To think about this being the 100th anniversary and just to be a small part of it is an honor.”
Kosar’s address to the students and parents at the pep rally carried a similar message.
“What an honor it is to be back here tonight,” Kosar said. “The Boardman-Mooney rivalry is something that’s resonated with me my entire life. I was blessed to play for national championships and in the Super Bowl. I played so many games in college and the NFL, but nothing has stayed with me like my youth here. Being part of the Boardman community, the life lessons I’ve learned here, running these halls, playing in these facilities, is one of the main reasons for my successes in life.”