The night was January 2, 1984. The site was the old Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana. A curly-haired freshman named Bernie Kosar did the improbable. He led the Miami Hurricanes over the Nebraska Cornhuskers for their first national championship. It began a love affair between Kosar and the city.
Bernie Kosar is more than a Cleveland Browns legend.
He is much more than an NCAA and Super Bowl champion.
He is a champion at life. He is the winner of all winners. If there was a Hall of Fame for overall genuine guys, who would do anything for you, he would have been inducted years ago.
Meeting Bernie at the University of Miami
Personally, I had the privilege of meeting Kosar at the University of Miami, where we were both students. It was because of Kosar that I decided to apply to Miami. When they won the national championship in 1984, it opened my eyes that the little private school in Coral Gables might be worth looking into.
As Kosar struggles to see life, day after day, he is in dire need of a liver transplant. He was supposed to have the transplant on Sunday. The donor organ, however, was infected and that means more waiting.
He is on borrowed time and he knows it. Kosar is taking nothing for granted, but struggling every day to see the next.
Kosar has to get that transplant and hope there are no complications. The living legend is literally dying in a hospital hoping for a miracle.
Former Miami RB Keith Griffin remembers Kosar from their playing days
One person who knows Kosar very well is former University of Miami running back Keith Griffin, who was on the cover of a national sports magazine, after the game, under the moniker "Miracle in Miami".
Griffin, the brother of two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, had a stellar career at Miami. He capped it off with an MVP performance in the 1984 Orange Bowl when Kosar helped win the national championship for the Hurricanes as they defeated the heavily-favored Nebraska Cornhuskers 31-30.
Griffin spoke exclusively with Browns Roundtable and Roundtable Sports on Thursday and offered his feelings and thoughts on his teammate and friend.
"That Nebraska team is probably the greatest college football team ever assembled," Griffin said. "But, with Bernie, I knew we were going to win. We all knew that Bernie was going to move the offense and lead us to victory."
National Championship for Miami, Griffin was MVP, but Bernie was the leader
Griffin tells a story that Kosar was not even supposed to play that season. Vinny Testaverde was next in line to succeed Jim Kelly, who at the time was the best Miami quarterback in the modern era.
Kosar beat Testaverde out in training camp and the rest is history.
"Vinny was supposed to be the next guy, but Bernie won the job," Griffin said. "Everyone expected Vinny to take the job, but Bernie became the guy. Vinny was more talented, but Bernie was more cerebral and more confident.
"We never felt we were out of the game with Bernie. We were always going to do things right and score points in the red zone."
Griffin first learned of Kosar's illness when he met up with him at the Miami-Texas A&M game three seasons ago. Griffin has strong feelings for his former teammate and friend. You could hear it in voice that he emanated both love and respect for Kosar.
"I saw Bernie at the Texas A&M game a few years ago. I walked into a restaurant and I saw Bernie, Alonzo [Hignsmith] and a couple of other guys that I played with. He seemed ok then, but I knew he was having problems.
"I never thought it would get to this point."
Griffin said if there was one quarterback he would ever want to play for, it would have been Kosar. Griffin, who went on to a successful career with the Washington Redskins, said Kosar was as smart as he was talented.
Former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar hugs Baker Mayfield after receiving the Pro Athlete of the Year award from the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 in Cleveland.Kosar was most cerebral quarterback Griffin played with
"Bernie he was always the consummate professional and well respected among the players," Griffin said. "I always felt Bernie was the one who presented positivity. Baker Mayfield reminds me of Bernie. He just has that attitude that when he takes the field, he is going to lead his teammates to victory.
"They both think they are never out of the game. They are both winners. He reminds me of that kind of guy. He portrays confidence.
"Whenever we need to score, he would make sure we scored."
Griffin said that the receivers Miami had knew the ball would be in the right spot and all they had to do was run the correct route. With Kosar, Griffin said, there was no margin for error.
"The receivers knew he would always find the right guy to throw to," Griffin said. "If they were open and ran the correct route, they would get the ball. Bernie would make sure we were successful."
1984 Orange Bowl victory, where Miami was led by Kosar, a freshman quarterback from Youngstown, Ohio
In what was one of the greatest college football games ever, Griffin believed that Kosar would direct Miami to victory. Griffin was the MVP and the Sports Illustrated cover boy, but Kosar is the one who led the team to the win.
"I never had a doubt that we were going to win that game. None of us did," Griffin said. "I think he was the only one that would have taken us to that victory. Him and Coach Howard Schnellenberger were all on one page. He thought like him and the offensive coordinator.
"When the calls were made, he executed them to a tee. He make the right calls."
Griffin said that it was Kosar's brain and not his arm that won him games throughout his career.
"To me he won with his brain. He was so smart on the field." Griffin said. "He was accurate and so smart and intelligent in reading a defense. He always knew the checks and always made the right checks.
"There will never be another quarterback like Bernie."