Pete Gogolak is well-known to the old-time New York Giants followers however to not the youthful generations of soccer followers.
The Hungarian-born former placekicker who broke obstacles within the Sixties with first the Buffalo Payments after which the Giants is now 82 years previous and not too long ago spoke about his storied profession on the workforce’s A hundredth-anniversary occasion.
“I’m very proud to be a part of the Big household,” Gogolak mentioned. “It’s a terrific group and it’s nice to be again.”
The Giants’ Ring of Honoree downplayed his position as each the NFL’s first “soccer-style” kicker and as one of many first gamers to maneuver from the AFL to the NFL in what would turn out to be a warfare for gamers between the 2 leagues.
Gogolak was a two-time AFL champion with the Payments from 1964-65 earlier than coming over to the Giants in 1966. He performed till 1974 and his 646 factors scored remains to be a Giants’ franchise file.
“I’m simply proud that I lasted that lengthy, 9 years, as a kicker with one workforce,” Gogolak mentioned. “That’s a fairly good, good factor.”
Gogolak, whose brother Charlie was additionally a kicker in each leagues, was an outlier along with his model and felt he may very well be successful as a specialist within the NFL.
“After I noticed Lou Groza, the previous Cleveland kicker, kick the ball straight on, I used to be 15 years previous and mentioned to my father, ‘I believe I can do higher than that and I can kick a ball from the facet like a soccer participant.’ I ought to have patented this kick. I ought to have gotten a patent and 1 / 4 each time individuals are available in and did it as a result of now all people is kicking this manner,” he mentioned.
Giants proprietor Wellington Mars agreed. He broke the NFL-AFL “gentleman’s settlement” relating to poaching gamers to signal Gogolak. The Giants’ kicking recreation was pathetic on the time and the workforce was getting ready to catastrophe.
In 1965, the Giants used 4 completely different gamers at kicker and transformed simply 4 of 25 makes an attempt. Gogolak rectified that ineptitude in 1966 by hitting on 16 of 28 subject objective makes an attempt and changing 29 of 31 level after makes an attempt.
Sadly, 1966 can be the Giants’ worst season ever with a 1-12-1 file.
