OGDENSBURG -- A monument dedication was held Friday to honor Peter and Charlie Gogolak of NFL fame. The monument sits near the OFA Football Field in the Memorial Park and joins other monuments …
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OGDENSBURG -- A monument dedication was held Friday to honor Peter and Charlie Gogolak of NFL fame.
The monument sits near the OFA Football Field in the Memorial Park and joins other monuments honoring former athletes, coaches and others who made significant contributions to OFA both academically and in athletics
Both Peter and Charlie came to America with their parents with the clothes on their backs to escape the Hungarian Revolution in 1956.
Coach Bill Plimpton encouraged both to practice their kicking and pursue their dream to master the soccer style kicking to the American game of Football which they had never played. Both Peter and Charlie played soccer as young as 5 years old in Hungary and wanted to try out for the OFA Football Team as a kicker as soccer was not a High School sport at that time. With Coach Plimpton and teammates encouragement and a lot of practice, they mastered the soccer style kick.
Both would become professional Football players. The rules of professional football were changed to allow their soccer style kick to be allowed and has become the standard . The event was held at OFA Friday evening. The effort to recognize and honor the both Athlete's was created and accomplished by the Pride and Beautification committee of Ogdensburg.