Bednarski preceded Gogolak in soccer-style kicking
It is widely believed that Pete Gogolak was the first person to kick a soccer-style field goal in college or pro football in the United States when he booted a 41-yarder for Cornell in 1961. However, it has been documented that the first-ever soccer-style field goal was kicked back in 1957 by Fred Bednarski, a native of Poland.
Gogolak, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, was drafted by Buffalo in 1964 and went on to stardom with the Bills and later the New York Giants. His style of approaching the ball from the side rather than straight-ahead was seen as a curiosity at first, but coaches eventually realized that soccer-style kicking allowed for greater accuracy and distance than the conventional style.
Gogolak kicked very well, helping the Bills win back-to-back AFL titles. Then, when the Bills wouldn’t pay Gogolak what he wanted, he signed with the NFL Giants. That brought on a heated battle for players between the two leagues and, eventually, the AFL–NFL merger.
Soon every team wanted a soccerstyle kicker, and there hasn’t been a
straight-on kicker in the NFL for over 25 years.
However, Gogolak wasn’t actually the first person to kick a soccer-style field goal in American football; it was Fred Bednarski.
Here’s how it began. Ferdynand and Wladyslawa Bednarski were living in Uscie Biskupie, Poland when World War II broke out. The town was invaded first by the Russians, and later by the Germans. Under Nazi occupation, the Bednarskis, including Fred Jr., 5, Lucja, 3, and Jozef, 1, were sent to a German labor camp in Austria.
Despite the horrible conditions, they were grateful that the family stayed together --- and that they weren’t sent to a concentration camp. After being liberated from the labor camp, they went to a Displaced Persons camp for four years before coming to America. After arriving in the United States in 1950, a welfare organization placed the family on a dairy farm near Austin, Texas, and they began a new life.
Fred Jr, who learned to play soccer in the camps, was introduced to American football in Texas. An outstanding athlete, he became an all-city fullback and kicker. As a kicker, he addressed the football from a 45-degree angle, the same way he booted a soccer ball.
After high school he decided to walk-on at the University of Texas. He boomed kickoffs for the Longhorns but didn’t try a field goal until his junior year. Field goals in college football were rare at that time and there were no kicking specialists. All kickers used a straight-ahead style of kicking. Soccer-style kicking was unheard of; in fact, soccer itself was pretty rare in the United States at that time.
The Longhorns only attempted four field goals during the 1957 season – their opponents didn’t try any. However, one of those attempts made history. In a game on Oct. 19, 1957, first-year Longhorns coach
Darrell Royal sent Bednarski to try a kick from 38 yards out.
Bednarski had missed a 55-yarder earlier in the season, but Royal told Fred, “If you miss, it'll be better than a punt, anyway." The attempt was good, with about 10 yards to spare, and Fred was mobbed by his teammates.
The field goal gave Texas a 3-0 lead on its way to a 17-0 upset win over the 10th-ranked Razorbacks. The news media made note of the unique kick, but didn’t make a big deal of it. Bednarski never kicked another field goal. He graduated after the following season and joined the Army, later serving as a lieutenant
Despite his unique role in American sports history, you probably never heard of Fred Bednarski, However, you may be more familiar
with his little brother. Jozef went on to become a professional wrestler, and in 1973 adopted the stage name of Ivan “Polish Power” Putski. He became one of the most popular champions in pro wrestling, as well as a top strongman competitor.
Recently asked by the Washington Times about his unique contribution to sports, Fred Bednarski said: “As you get older, to be able to say, ‘Well, I did contribute something to the game.’ The only place this could have happened was in America. You can do all kinds of things in the United States if you’re willing to try.' ”
Gogolak, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, was drafted by Buffalo in 1964 and went on to stardom with the Bills and later the New York Giants. His style of approaching the ball from the side rather than straight-ahead was seen as a curiosity at first, but coaches eventually realized that soccer-style kicking allowed for greater accuracy and distance than the conventional style.
Gogolak kicked very well, helping the Bills win back-to-back AFL titles. Then, when the Bills wouldn’t pay Gogolak what he wanted, he signed with the NFL Giants. That brought on a heated battle for players between the two leagues and, eventually, the AFL–NFL merger.
Soon every team wanted a soccerstyle kicker, and there hasn’t been a
straight-on kicker in the NFL for over 25 years.
However, Gogolak wasn’t actually the first person to kick a soccer-style field goal in American football; it was Fred Bednarski.
Here’s how it began. Ferdynand and Wladyslawa Bednarski were living in Uscie Biskupie, Poland when World War II broke out. The town was invaded first by the Russians, and later by the Germans. Under Nazi occupation, the Bednarskis, including Fred Jr., 5, Lucja, 3, and Jozef, 1, were sent to a German labor camp in Austria.
Despite the horrible conditions, they were grateful that the family stayed together --- and that they weren’t sent to a concentration camp. After being liberated from the labor camp, they went to a Displaced Persons camp for four years before coming to America. After arriving in the United States in 1950, a welfare organization placed the family on a dairy farm near Austin, Texas, and they began a new life.
Fred Jr, who learned to play soccer in the camps, was introduced to American football in Texas. An outstanding athlete, he became an all-city fullback and kicker. As a kicker, he addressed the football from a 45-degree angle, the same way he booted a soccer ball.
After high school he decided to walk-on at the University of Texas. He boomed kickoffs for the Longhorns but didn’t try a field goal until his junior year. Field goals in college football were rare at that time and there were no kicking specialists. All kickers used a straight-ahead style of kicking. Soccer-style kicking was unheard of; in fact, soccer itself was pretty rare in the United States at that time.
The Longhorns only attempted four field goals during the 1957 season – their opponents didn’t try any. However, one of those attempts made history. In a game on Oct. 19, 1957, first-year Longhorns coach
Darrell Royal sent Bednarski to try a kick from 38 yards out.
Bednarski had missed a 55-yarder earlier in the season, but Royal told Fred, “If you miss, it'll be better than a punt, anyway." The attempt was good, with about 10 yards to spare, and Fred was mobbed by his teammates.
The field goal gave Texas a 3-0 lead on its way to a 17-0 upset win over the 10th-ranked Razorbacks. The news media made note of the unique kick, but didn’t make a big deal of it. Bednarski never kicked another field goal. He graduated after the following season and joined the Army, later serving as a lieutenant
Despite his unique role in American sports history, you probably never heard of Fred Bednarski, However, you may be more familiar
with his little brother. Jozef went on to become a professional wrestler, and in 1973 adopted the stage name of Ivan “Polish Power” Putski. He became one of the most popular champions in pro wrestling, as well as a top strongman competitor.
Recently asked by the Washington Times about his unique contribution to sports, Fred Bednarski said: “As you get older, to be able to say, ‘Well, I did contribute something to the game.’ The only place this could have happened was in America. You can do all kinds of things in the United States if you’re willing to try.' ”
FEB 01, 2023 • My father Leo coached the first and only barefooted soccer-style place kicker in 1957 at East Cleveland Shaw HS. Morin Gerhardt was the kicker. He was an Austrian refugee. Ended up playing soccer at the US Naval Academy and coaches soccer here in the Cleveland area.
Burt Brown • [email protected]
SEP 07, 2019 • I was in college at Ga Tech from I959 to 1963, and was on the swimming team with a guy from South America named Jorge Endrica who could kick soccer style. During football spring training he was given the opportunity to place kick. I think he kicked some extra points and a field goal, but I don’t think he was put on the team. I watched him practice kicking and he rarely missed a kick. Too bad that coaches at that time didn’t realize the advantage of soccer style place kicking.