May 8, 2022 10 min read

By the end of most of the games he coaches for the Monessen High School boys basketball team, he can look totally spent.

Dan Bosnic is into every second of every game. From opening tip to 00.00 on the clock, Bosnic never stops coaching.

His energy is unquestioned.

The 6-7 Bosnic cherishes every game he can coach. He’s grateful that he can put everything he has into the game, the many hours of practice, watching opponents on video and putting together game plans.

He’s grateful for the opportunities he has in his life.

Bosnic is assistant to the superintendent for the Uniontown School District. He completed his fourth season at Monessen with a section championship and a playoff victory. He and his wife, Liz, have two active young boys – Bailor and Boston – and the couple is expecting their third child later this year.

He counts his blessings every day.

Dan Bosnic also is a lucky guy. He beat cancer.

“I was fortunate,” said Bosnic. “Things could have been much different.”

It was the fall of 1997, Bosnic’s sophomore year at Laurel Highlands High School – football season – when Bosnic and his mom walked into an examination room and were shown a spot on Dan’s X-ray.

A few days later, the 17-year-old Bosnic was operated on as doctors removed a cancerous tumor from his chest. That cancer was rare, only about 10 confirmed cases in the world at that time.

Dan Bosnic earned the starting quarterback position that season, a year after transferring from Albert Gallatin High School, where his father, Mike Sr., had been the head football coach.

Dan Bosnic knew something was amiss when he kept waking from sleep, sweating profusely, and not feeling well.

He kept that information to himself for a while before reporting it to his mom and dad.

“It was an unknown,” Dan Bosnic said. “I did let it go for a bit. It – the sweating and not feeling well – persisted. I finally told my parents.”

The family decided to see Morgantown, W. Va.-based Dr. Wilbur Sine Oct. 16, 1997.

Dan Bosnic, 41, said initially it was thought to be related to his sinuses. The X-ray said something completely different and frightening.

The first diagnosis was lymphoma – a form of cancer.

“I expected to go there and them tell me something that wasn’t good,” Bosnic said. “After the X-ray, it went from one thing to them taking other steps.

“As a young kid and being someone who was really involved in sports and having a passion for them, I just started thinking about a lot of things. I was glad, though, they knew something was wrong.”

Linda Bosnic, Dan’s mom, said it was one of the most disturbing and concerning times of her life.

“The doctor was able to diagnose it pretty quickly,” Linda Bosnic said. “His uncle (Gary Bosnic) helped us get an appointment the next day. We didn’t have to worry for weeks about it. That appointment was such a blessing. “

Turning Point

The Bosnics – Dan, Linda and Mike Sr., met with the now renowned Drs. Stanley Marks and Rodney Landreneau at Allegheny General Hospital Friday, Oct. 17, 1997.

They put Dan Bosnic through a battery of tests. He was worried about his health but also concerned he would never get to Altoona for the Mustangs’ football game that night.

“Dan was sick for a few months leading up to that,” remembered an emotional Mike Bosnic Sr. “We took him to doctors and they tried antibiotics and they just didn’t help. We couldn’t figure it out. My father died of cancer. All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind. When they found a tumor in Dan’s chest. . . the worst days of my life. My dad died of Lymphoma.

“My brother Gary got involved and we fortunately got to see two great doctors. We’re sitting in that office as they take these tests. When Dan came out, he’s sitting there telling us it’s 4:15. Hey, its 4:30, worrying about the football game. He asked Dr. Marx if he could play. Marx said it wouldn’t hurt him. Danny had his bags packed with all his equipment. I had no idea. We drove straight to Altoona. Dan went to the locker room a little after halftime, got dressed and went out and played in the second half. That tells you all you need to know about Dan Bosnic.”

Dan’s brother Nick – who played basketball at Duquesne University and currently is principal at Connellsville High School – said there was much sibling concern.

His brother, Mike, is football coach and athletic director at Washington High School and a former Pitt Panthers’ lineman. His sister, Kelly Swartz, who works in the Uniontown School district, was dumbfounded when Dan was going through his sickness and then, ultimately received the diagnosis.

“It was scary,” Nick Bosnic explained. “We were scared for Dan and his long-term health. We all were trying to figure out what was going on. When you hear the word ‘cancer’ you’re obviously worried. In our household, sports were sacred. We all worried about the next practice, the next game. We looked forward to the season and then the next one.

“When this happened to Dan, none of that mattered anymore. Sports has meant so much to this family. But the perspective changed immediately. The only thing that mattered was Dan’s health and that we wanted him to be OK. It all happened so fast after his diagnosis. Thank God it all worked.”

It all worked Monday, Oct. 20, when Dan went in for the biopsy.

Instead of doing a biopsy, Landreneau decided to take an aggressive approach.

“He decided to just remove the tumor,’ Dan Bosnic said. “He didn’t want to open my chest. He kept the tumor together in removing it. He got all of it without any of it breaking off. He’s a great doctor. What a blessing that was.”

“It was a miracle,” Linda Bosnic said. “Dan’s an example that good can come out of despair.”

“I give thanks every day,” said Mike Sr. “It was a real tough time and one that I wouldn’t want anyone to go through.”

Dan Bosnic said the healing and the worrying lasted months down the road.

The Bosnics went to numerous follow-ups and tests.

“Every time Dan went to get the tests and get the bloodwork, we’d hold our breath and await the results,” Nick Bosnic said.

Dan’s the Man

The cancer wasn’t Dan Bosnic’s only obstacle to overcome in his life or his athletic career.

He missed the final two games of that 1997 football season but fought back to make a mark for himself the next season.

Nearly a year after his surgery, he threw for 183 yards, ran for 86, scored three rushing touchdowns and threw a TD pass in a 34-28 victory over Latrobe. Bosnic led the WPIAL in passing yards one season. He also played safety.

He had opportunities to play big time college football or college basketball.

Before his senior basketball season, he suffered a broken wrist (scaphoid bone, which is one of the carpal bones of the wrist) that kept him from playing the entire season. He was in a cast for eight months. It changed the course of his life.

Instead of basketball, Dan Bosnic received a scholarship to play football at Temple where he played tight end. He saw time as a freshman and started as a sophomore. But injuries ended his playing days with the Owls.

“Dan’s been through a lot of injuries and it’s been hard to watch as an older brother,” Nick Bosnic said. “He is so passionate.

“Before his senior year (basketball) he and I worked so hard to prepare for it. He was going to be a great player that year. He was big and strong.”

It’s for the Kids

Craig Rice is a Monessen graduate and was a standout player for the Greyhounds during his playing days.

He has coached with Dan Bosnic all four seasons at Monessen. Bosnic previously coached at Connellsville.

Rice said his boss always has something new and he keeps an open mind about the program.

In his first season at Monessen, Bosnic led the Greyhounds to a section title and unexpected appearances in the WPIAL and PIAA semifinals.

After two playoff seasons but below Bosnic’s and Monessen basketball standards, the prospects for the 2021-22 seasons weren’t high from those outside the program.

After two beatings in the first two games of the seasons, even Mike Bosnic Sr., thought it would be a tough season for the Greyhounds.

But they caught fire, winning 19 games and a section championship. Monessen also won 16 consecutive games until its WPIAL quarterfinals loss.

The win total and winning streak was far beyond expectations.

The foundation was hard work, preparation and a team that came together.

“That all was Coach (Bosnic),” Rice said. “Everyone around him knows how prepared he is and the work, energy and thought he puts into the kids, first, and the program, next.

“He’s always taught these kids, ‘Let’s go’ and work. He is in, ‘Let’s go’ mode all the time. It makes no difference if it’s practice or games. He watches so much video on our team, opposing teams and he’s watching college and NBA games just to search for something new that can help our kids.

“He has an enthusiasm that is infectious. He’ll try anything that will help a kid to get better and to make our team better. He does more thing for these kids than they or anyone knows. He cares more about them than anything – on and off the court. We’ve always broken down a lot of film with him here. But I never broke down as much on our team and opposing teams as we did this year. Dan’s energy and love of our kids and the team just push him.”

The energy transfers to his players and team.

“He looks out for us and he takes care of us,” said Dante DeFelices, who was a junior point guard on the section championship team. “We know he’ll have us in the best position to be successful each game. He studies, he teaches, and he prepares.

“Coach plays such a huge part. He really knows his stuff.”

Because he had cancer, Bosnic had to be careful with the COVID seasons and worked to remain healthy.

It didn’t sap his energy or deter his charge.

“As you get older the perspective changes,” Dan Bosnic said. “I have two sons and a wife. I have all my boys in our program. When I hear about a child who has cancer it impacts me because many aren’t as fortunate as I have been.

“I am truly blessed.

“We talk a lot of about the great job my doctors did, and I am thankful I have parents and siblings that were able to help me through that time as well. My siblings and I have always been so lucky to have had the support we’ve had from them. We’ve couldn’t ask for better. I couldn’t ask for a better situation to be in.”