Bernie Kosar - College Career

College Career

Kosar chose to play college football at the University of Miami, which ran a passing-oriented offense and was beginning to emerge as one of the top football programs in the nation.

After being redshirted in 1982, Kosar started all 12 games as a freshman in 1983. He completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 2,328 yards and 15 touchdowns, leading the Hurricanes to an 11–1 regular season and a berth in the Orange Bowl against top-ranked Nebraska, which had won 22 consecutive games. In the game, Kosar passed for 300 yards and two touchdowns, and the Hurricanes topped the Cornhuskers 31–30 for Miami’s first national championship. Kosar earned Orange Bowl MVP honors for his performance

In 1984, he set Hurricane season records with 3,642 yards and 25 touchdowns, was a second-team All-American and finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. Kosar’s career completion percentage of 62.3 percent is still a Hurricanes record.

Yet, 1984 was not without its disappointments for Kosar. He threw for 447 yards and two touchdowns, completing 25 of 38 attempts, in the Hurricanes' November 23, 1984, 47–45 loss to Doug Flutie's Boston College team when Flutie threw his famous "Hail Flutie" pass. Earlier in the same year, Kosar watched helplessly as replacement quarterback Frank Reich of the University of Maryland launched what was then the biggest comeback in college football history. Reich led the Maryland Terrapins back from a first-half deficit of 31–0 and won a 42–40 victory.

In his final college game, the 1985 Fiesta Bowl against UCLA, Kosar completed 31 of 44 passes for 294 yards. He also had two touchdown passes and one interception. Bernie Kosar graduated from college with a double major in Finance and economics. Kosar took 18 credit hours during the spring of 1985, and an additional six during the summer in order to graduate early.

Kosar was interviewed about his time at the University of Miami for the documentary The U, which premiered December 12, 2009 on ESPN.