Peter Gogolak '64 Luncheon
Join Club Members for a luncheon and conversation with Peter Gogolak ’64, a former professional placekicker for the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants. He is widely considered the chief figure behind the game's adoption of soccer style placekicking. In 1966, after initially playing two professional seasons for the AFL's Bills, he jumped to the NFL's New York Giants, sparking the "war between the leagues" and the creation of the AFL–NFL merger. Gogolak is still the all-time leading scorer for the NY Giants and in 2010 he was inducted into The NY Giants Ring of Honor.
Peter Gogolak was born in Budapest, Hungary. Peter, his parents, and his brother Charlie escaped during the 1956 Hungarian revolution, came to America, and settled in upstate New York. Gogolak played college football at Cornell, where he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. Gogolak's 41-yard field goal during Cornell's 1961 season was the very first soccer-style kick in college football, and became a significant moment in the development of college football history. Prior to Gogolak, placekickers approached the ball straight on, with the toe making first contact with the ball. Gogolak, reflecting his roots in European soccer, instead approached the ball at an angle and kicked it with his instep. In 2010, Gogolak was elected as an honoree for the Ivy Football Association. Gogolak continues with a long and successful career in the financial printing industry as the Director of Sales with R.R. Donnelley Financial Services.
Don’t miss this chance to meet a sports legend who forever changed the game of football!
12noon-1:30pm. $25 per person, includes lunch buffet. Advance reservations required by Wednesday, October 21st, at which time they are considered final sale.
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