By THOMAS LUCKIE III

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City School District Superintendent Timothy Vernsey offered thanks to the Ogdensburg Pride and Beautification Commission for their efforts honoring the legacy of Ogdensburg Free Academy graduates and football kicking revolutionaries Peter and Charlie Gogolak at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

A reception at the Sherman Inn and plaque dedication ceremony in the district’s Memorial Park were held before Friday night’s OFA football game against Gouverneur.

Peter Gogolak, who graduated from OFA in 1962 before attending Cornell University and playing professionally for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, attended the ceremony.

Charlie Gogolak, who graduated from OFA in 1962 before attending Princeton University and playing professionally for the Washington Redskins and Boston/New England Patriots, watched the ceremony and addressed the crowd via Skype.

“I want to thank the Pride and Beautification Committee for coming up with such a wonderful idea,” Vernsey said. “They came up with the idea and they ran with it and brought it right straight to the finish line.”

Vernsey also mentioned that Peter Gogolak was very appreciative of the gesture and plans to return to Ogdensburg to show the plaque to his children.

“It was very nice, a real classy reception and ceremony all the way around, I think the committee is very proud of it,” Vernsey added.

The Gogolak brothers are widely credited with changing the course of modern football by innovating soccer-style kicking after their family fled the Hungarian Revolution and landed in Ogdensburg, which had no soccer teams at the time.

Peter Gogolak remains the New York Giants all-time leading scorer.