Pete Gogolak

The native form of this personal name is Gogolák Péter Kornél. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Pete Gogolak
No. 3
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1942-04-18) April 18, 1942 (age 82)
Budapest, Hungary
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Ogdensburg Free Academy (Ogdensburg, New York)
College:Cornell
AFL draft:1964 / round: 12 / pick: 92
  (undrafted by the NFL)
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Field goals:173/294 (.588)
Extra points:344/354 (.972)
Points:863

Peter Kornel Gogolak (English: /ˈɡoʊɡəlæk/; Hungarian: Gogolák Péter Kornél; born April 18, 1942) is a Hungarian-born former American football player who was a placekicker in the American Football League (AFL) for the Buffalo Bills, and in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants.[1]

Gogolak is widely considered the chief figure behind the game's adoption of soccer style placekicking.[2] In 1966, after playing two seasons for the AFL's Bills, he joined the NFL's Giants in May after playing out his option,[3][4] sparking the "war between the leagues" and effectively expediting the subsequent AFL–NFL merger agreement in June. He is distinguished as being the first Hungarian to play in the NFL.

In 2010, the New York Giants announced that Gogolak would be included in the team's new Ring of Honor to be displayed at all home games in their new stadium.[5] To this day, he remains the Giants all-time leading scorer with 646 points.[6]

  1. ^ Kirst, Sean (January 23, 1991). "Pete Gogolak: A 'sidewinding' bridge from New York to Buffalo". Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Spencer, Clark (December 27, 1987). "Hungarian Revolution plays role in revolutionalizing kicking game". Chicago Tribune. Knight Ridder.
  3. ^ "Giants sign Pete Gogolak; all-out war?". Tuscaloosa News. Alabama. Associated Press. May 18, 1966. p. 15.
  4. ^ Hand, Jack (May 18, 1966). "Giants sign Bills Pete Gogolak; move could provoke pro grid war". Lewiston Daily Sun. Maine. Associated Press. p. 13.
  5. ^ "Headlines - Story - Pete Gogolak Inducted to Ring of Honor - Giants.com". Archived from the original on 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  6. ^ "New York Giants Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com.