50 Greatest Browns of All-Time: #6 QB Bernie Kosar

As we continue our series on the 50 Greatest Browns, we are now going to profile fan favorite Bernie Kosar. We hope you have enjoyed the previous articles ranking players 50 – 7. As always, if you haven’t read those make sure to check them out.

Bernie Kosar was born in Youngstown, Ohio and attended Miami (FL) for college. While in Miami he was a member of the 1983 National Championship team. On July 3, 1985, the Browns selected Kosar in the supplemental draft after some back and forth as to whether Kosar would be eligible for the supplemental draft or the regular draft that occurred a few months before the Browns selected Kosar.

Kosar played for the Browns for nine seasons where he accumulated a 53-51-1 record as a starter. As a member of the Browns, he had a 58.8 completion percentage, throwing for 21,904 yards with 116 TDs and 81 INTs. In 1987 he made it to his only Pro Bowl. After his nine seasons with the Browns, Head Coach Bill Belichick released Kosar citing “diminishing skills” as the reason for his release. Kosar was quickly signed by the Dallas Cowboys where he got the opportunity to win a Super Bowl as Troy Aikman’s backup.

After the partial season with the Cowboys, Kosar joined the Miami Dolphins where he served as Dan Marino’s backup. Kosar started two games in three seasons for the Dolphins and lost both of those games. One of Kosar’s most memorable moments as a member of the Dolphins came with Kosar sitting on the bench in a game against the New York Jets. With time winding down Kosar designed a play where Marino pretended to spike the ball and instead he passed it to wide receiver Mark Ingram for the game-winning touchdown.

After his playing career ended, Kosar tried his hand at some business ventures which has had varying levels of success. Additionally, he has made guest appearances on the television show “The Drew Carrey Show” and in the movie “Draft Day.” Due to their non-ending love for him, many Browns fans have implored management to hire Kosar as a coach or at least a special assistant.

Bernie Kosar was never a prototypical passer, but he was beloved by Browns fans due to his blue-collar playing style. He was never the best quarterback in the league, but he was our quarterback and he led our Browns to many wins and multiple seasons where the Browns landed in the playoffs.