Library's Autism Series Features Brick Football Kicker Anthony Starego

BRICK, NJ — Ten years ago, Ray Starego was spending time with his son, Anthony, helping him practice kicking a football over and over.

Anthony Starego, who is on the autism spectrum, was a student at Brick Township High School back then in its program for students with special needs, working his way through a world that doesn't always welcome those who are different.

It was the fall of 2012 that would change Anthony's life and that of his parents, Ray and Reylene. A football sailed through the uprights for a game-winning field goal for the Brick Dragons football team against Toms River North, setting off a celebration. And it was that moment, captured on video and replayed thousands of times since, that had an impact no one expected.

Tuesday at 7 p.m., the Ocean County Library is hosting the Starego family in a Zoom event to hear Anthony's story. He was mostly nonverbal and highly sensitive to touch at age 3, when Ray and Reylene adopted him after he had been through 11 foster homes.

With love, dedication and work, he developed into a caring individual with a talent for football that brought him fame at Brick Township High School. Starego’s star rose higher when he became a place-kicking specialist for arena and minor-league teams.

Register here to have the link to the Zoom presentation sent by email.

Read more of his 2012 burst into the spotlight: Dragons Kicker, With Autism, Redefines 'Special Needs'