An intelligent quarterback knows when to throw the ball into coverage and when not to. An intelligent businessman knows when a venture is worthy and when it's not. Bernie Kosar possesses an uncanny knack for both.

A former football legend at Boardman High (Boardman, Ohio), the

University of Miami and in the NFL, Kosar, 36, now brings his intellect to the business world with several corporate ventures and charitable events. No matter where he is, one thing is certain ¾ Kosar will not be outworked or outwitted.

"I think of him as a genius," says Andy Noch, Kosar's marketing assistant for charity functions as well as the Bernie J. Kosar Greeting Card Company. "He's very smart, so when he talks, people listen."

Not much has changed from Kosar's playing days.

"It was like having another coach on the field," says Gene Pushic, Kosar's high school football coach at Boardman. "He had the smarts to direct things on the field."

	Bernie Kosar is a major businessman now.

Described by Pushic as an outstanding student, Kosar led the Boardman football team by throwing downfield in a time when most high schools stuck with running the ball. After picking apart opposing defenses with his renowned side-arm passing delivery, Kosar earned Ohio Player of the Year honors in his senior season (1980). He threw for 2,222 yards and 19 touchdowns (both school records) that year.

"It's his natural throwing motion," says Pushic about Kosar's side-arm delivery. "A lot of people have wanted to change it, but not me. It always got the job done."

Kosar took his strong arm to the University of Miami. In 1983, he led the Hurricanes to the Orange Bowl (a 31-30 upset win over Nebraska in which he passed for 300 yards) and a national championship. One year later, he was named a first team Academic All-American as well as a second team Associated Press All-American. Kosar finished his collegiate career with a 62.3 completion percentage, 5,971 passing yards and 40 touchdowns.

Considering those numbers, the Cleveland Browns had no trouble taking Kosar in the first round of the 1985 supplemental draft and making him the highest-paid quarterback in franchise history. Once again, he proved his worth and his intelligence on the gridiron. Cleveland qualified for the playoffs in each of Kosar's first five seasons. For his career, Kosar threw for 23,301 yards and 124 touchdowns. Kosar finished his football days with the Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys in 1993 and served as Dan Marino?s backup in Miami from 1994-96. But his NFL career may be best remembered for owning the third-lowest interception percentage in league history. Kosar once threw 308 consecutive passes, from 1990-91, without being picked off. It set an NFL record, which still stands today.

Life off the football field remains chaotic for Kosar. Thanks in part to the finance degree he earned while at the University of Miami, Kosar now serves as the director and senior vice president of Precision Response Corporation in Miami, director of ClaimCard Inc., director of the Bernie J. Kosar Greeting Card Co. in Cleveland and director and chairman of the board of the NFL Quarterback Club, Inc.

"He has earned tons of respect in the business world," says Noch, who has worked with Kosar for 15 years. "He's proven himself as a winner and people know that."

Among his good-will ventures, Kosar is the trustee of the Bernie J. Kosar Charitable Trust in Boardman, the honorary chairman of the Paula and Anthony Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism at Youngstown State University (Ohio) and established the Bernie Kosar Charity Golf Classic 10 years ago to assist charities in northeastern Ohio.

"He's a tremendous human being and a role model for everyone," boasts Pushic.

Kosar is married and has three daughters. The family currently resides in Weston, Fla.