CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - It wasn't long ago that Lane Adkins and I met with Bernie for lunch at a small cafe, and he told us about his health problems. This was before they were public record, and I was sort of dumbfounded. Bernie is an icon - he doesn't get sick! By the time the conversation was over, Bernie was offering to help Lane and me with our own lesser challenges, as he had become an advocate for healthy living, something I've studiously avoided.
That's typical Bernie. Always more concerned with helping others than with his own issues. Always telling people that they matter, or willing to stand for a photograph and talk with fans. He's one of the good guys.
But now Bernie's health has taken center stage, as he faces challenges with internal bleeding as he waits for a liver transplant. He's the subject of well-wishes on our forums, and many of our members are praying for him.
If you're my age, you know all about Bernie Kosar: How incredible he was as a Miami Hurricane, the epic battle with Doug Flutie (I remember my father calling me and saying, "You've gotta see this!"), and how he helped lead the Cleveland Browns to the doorstep of the Super Bowl.
To me, Bernie's most important accomplishment was how he made Cleveland feel about itself. He deliberately manipulated the league's supplemental draft so he could return home to Cleveland and play, ultimately landing here in the mid-1980s.
Here was a city in distress for much of the 1970s, led into strange areas by the Kucinich administration, the butt of jokes nationwide, with memories of a river on fire representing what many outside of Cleveland perceived as a complete disaster of a city.
But Bernie, who could have gone anywhere, outwitted the system and came here. Home. It was obvious how much Cleveland meant to him that he would work the system just to be here... with us. Long before he attached #UMatter to all his social media posts, Bernie convinced us that we mattered.
Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar at an event in 2023 (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
It was almost secondary that Kosar was a damn good, if unique, quarterback, able to anticipate defenses and defeat them with his brain as much as his arm. Alongside refugees from the USFL and some decent draft picks, Bernie led the Browns to as much success as they had since the 1960s, requiring extreme luck and the talent of Denver's Hall of Famer John Elway to block the team from the Super Bowl.
Bernie was so beloved that when a soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Bill Belichick, cut him from the team, the town exploded, converting many Browns fans into Cowboys fans as soon as Kosar landed there.
Years later, in 2001, I crossed paths with Bernie, and we collaborated to transform then-BrownsTNG.com into Bernie's Insiders, where we worked alongside his family to develop a standalone media outlet. We started a magazine and a subscription service, providing the basis for what ultimately turned into the Orange and Brown Report.
I remember that I used to watch Browns games in my fan cave, and Bernie tried several times to call me during games to talk football. I didn't get cell phone reception down there, and I always regret not being around to pick up the phone and talk football with the legend.
Bernie signed footballs for us, wrote a column in our weekly newspaper, which soon turned into a glossy magazine, and then went away as fans traded paper for the Internet.
It's because of Bernie that I'm here writing every morning. It's because of Bernie that I feel a personal connection with what the Browns once represented. It's because of Bernie that the city of Cleveland knew that they mattered during a trying time.
Bernie, you matter. And we're praying for you.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
CLEVELAND BROWNS STUFF YOU CAN READ OR WHATEVER
OBR VIDEOS
Inside the Browns Beat - ft. Jon Doss! - (youtube.com)
Cleveland Browns Two-Minute Practice Check-In: 11/12/25 - (youtube.com)
Browns 3D-Folks now hate Stefanski for the same reasons they used to love him - (youtube.com)
OBR ARTICLES
The Tennessee Titans Might Provide The Answer To The Cleveland Browns Quarterback Issues - Jack
Can the Browns get a Good Gabriel Evaluation with the Offense's Overall Poor Play? Key DE Injury, More - Fred
Cleveland Browns Film Room Jerry Jeudys Vintage Performance - Sam
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 11/12: Paul DePodesta Speaks - Barry
Cleveland Browns Film Room: Mason Graham's Continued Improvement - Sam
Arch Manning, Ty Simpson Face Tough Tests in College Football Week 12 - Sam
OBR MESSAGE BOARD POSTS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
How bad was that sack that Dillon took at the end of the half?
Is Lisa Harveys Analysis of Browns Org vs Other Teams True?
Watson and PUP rules
Question for lane-owners being patient?
Did the Browns draft one too many QBs?
Is the line weaknesses causing QB growth to be stunted?
Jack, cap implications if Watson is activated?
THE WATERCOOLER
7 dollar tickets
Larvadain
Home Repair
Kaden Davis, WR - 2022 - signed 122024 - 6-1 -193
Kosar
A little something to brighten your day
A much needed pick me up for Browns fans!
LiveWire Thread for 1112 - Twitter, Article, Videos
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Boy's Great Tagline Helps Raise Thousands For Underprivileged Kids to Afford Hockey - (goodnewsnetwork.org)
My wife and I have friends who are deeply involved in the hockey world. They have two sons who are very good at hockey and are on traveling teams that play in Cleveland and around the Midwest. It's a very expensive endeavour which requires complete dedication from the parents who not only fund it but spend their weekends traveling to support their kids.
That's why I enjoyed this story about a young man who called himself a "Rink Dude", leading his parents to create a line of merchandise that they sell to help less-fortunate parents support their kids playing hockey by helping them purchase the expensive equipment.
WRAPPING UP
When not fondly remembering wearing a dog nose and barking at the TV in the late 1980s, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
OBR on BlueSky
OBR on Twitter
OBR on Threads
OBR on LinkedIN
OBR on Youtube
OBR on Twitch
Handy Links
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
OBR Unpublished RSS Feed
If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them's the rules.