All in the Family: John Bosa Leaves a Unique Legacy in South Florida

Former Miami Dolphins defensive end John Bosa is pictured with his sons Joey and Nick along with his then wife Cheryl. John Bosa first appeared on South Florida’s football radar his sophomore year at Boston College on the day after Thanksgiving in 1984. He played in one of the most famous football games ever at the Orange Bowl. During a rainy afternoon, a national television audience watched BC’s Doug Flutie and Miami’s Bernie Kosar put on an aerial show for the ages. There were other stars. Miami running back Melvin Bratton scored 4 touchdowns in the game. Bosa had one of the few outstanding defensive plays with a sack of Kosar. But the game is forever remembered for Flutie’s miraculous 48 yard touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to beat the Hurricanes 47-45 on the final play of the game. Bosa stood on the sidelines while the play happened. Little did he know at the time, there were bigger things for him to come in South Florida. Photo from Instagram.

Bosa quickly developed into one of college football’s top defensive linemen in the mid 1980s. Desperately seeking defensive help, the Miami Dolphins selected Bosa as the team’s first round pick in 1987. His career got off to a bad start and never recovered. It started with a lengthy contract holdout, costing him valuable practice time in training camp. Nagging injuries slowed down his progress and he never developed into the player the Dolphins envisioned. Just one year later in 1988, the Dolphins selected Eric Kumerow as their first round pick out of Ohio State. Kumerow’s career was erringly similar to Bosa’s. He also showed up late to training camp and couldn’t escape the injury bug. Both Bosa and Kumerow lasted just 3 NFL seasons.

Off the field, life wasn’t easy for Bosa and Kumerow. As first round draft picks they felt enormous pressure from the fans and the media to succeed. They were constantly reminded of their failures everywhere they went. They couldn’t pick up the newspaper, listen to the radio or even go to the grocery store without hearing criticism. But it also brought them closer together as friends. The two were inseparable and were always hanging out. Kumerow introduced Bosa to his sister Cheryl Kumerow. John and Cheryl eventually got married and settled down in Fort Lauderdale. They had two sons Joey and Nick.

Bosa never put pressure on his sons to play football. Instead, it was the opposite. It was the Bosa boys who constantly begged their dad to sign them up for youth football. The turning point was when they joined the Pembroke Pines Bengals Optimist Club and quickly became dominant players from day one. Joey and Nick eventually went on to spectacular success at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, where they were both 5-star recruits. When it was time to choose a college, there was never any doubt where the Bosa Brothers would attend. Instead of following in their dad’s footsteps to Boston College or playing locally at Miami or any of the Florida schools, the Bosas chose to attend Ohio State, where their mom and uncle Eric attended. Joey and Nick went on to become All Americans and NFL first round draft picks. Both are now considered among the NFL’s top pass rushers.

Life after football has been good to John Bosa. Unlike many young football players, he didn’t spend his money recklessly. Instead he invested his earnings in local real estate and businesses. Shortly after his Dolphin career ended, he rented out a building in South Beach and started his own gym with Kumerow. It became a big success and soon spawned other fitness facilities around South Florida. He and Kumerow eventually sold the business and got a huge return on their investment. Kumerow eventually moved back home to Chicago. His son Jake Kumerow is currently a receiver for the Buffalo Bills. While Bosa and Kumerow share many scars from their once-promising careers, they can now relax and watch their sons begin their own NFL journeys.