Former NFL quarterback Bernie Kosar to receive liver transplant

CLEVELAND — Former quarterback Bernie Kosar will receive a liver transplant on Monday, the former NFL and college star said.

Kosar, 61, who led the Cleveland Browns to three AFC Championship Games during the 1980s and guided the University of Miami to its first national championship as a redshirt freshman during the 1983 season, recorded a video from Cleveland’s University Hospitals shortly before his surgery.

“It might not be Victory Monday on the field, but it is a Victory Monday for me at UH as I head into surgery today,“ Kosar wrote on social media. ”I can’t thank you all enough for the love and support — it truly means everything."

The Boardman, Ohio, native has undergone five procedures at the Cleveland hospital since Nov. 9 for what he called “aggressive bleeding.”

Kosar had hoped to receive the transplant last weekend, but noted in a social media post that the operation was delayed due to an infection in the donor’s organ.

On Thursday, Kosar underwent surgical procedures to deal with the bleeding.

Kosar told Cleveland Magazine last year that he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and also had Parkinson’s disease.

He was placed on the liver transplant list in the spring of 2024.

Kosar played 12 seasons in the NFL. He was the Browns’ No. 1 pick (and the top choice overall) in the 1985 NFL supplemental draft.

He played nine seasons in Cleveland, then joined the Cowboys in 1993. After a season in Dallas, Kosar went to the Miami Dolphins in 1994, where he spent three seasons as a backup to Dan Marino.

During his NFL career, Kosar passed for 23,301 yards and 124 touchdowns in the regular season. He added 1,953 passing yards and 10 touchdowns in the playoffs.

At Miami, Kosar played two seasons, passing for 5,971 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Kosar was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 1995; in 1998, he was elected to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame.

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