But Cobb denied receiving any money and he was not indicted. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston Colleges top scorer. The fact that I went to court and fought for my name, that I stood up for myself and cleared my name, that I was exonerated and acquitted, its a travesty that Im still associated with this., My name is indelibly linked to it, Cobb continued. I felt like, You put my name out there, so let me clear my name! When they investigated me, I told them straight up about the $1,000 that Rocco Perla had given me. now all well past their primes after serving their time, including the gangster Ray It was a tragedy that he never got another chance to play in the NBA., Kevin Loughery never gave me a firm reason why the Nets were letting me go, said Cobb. I was relishing that moment. It creates suspense as Hill is a mess on the stand and can barely speak under the pressure of snitching on his friends. Can anyone shed some 197879 Boston College Eagles basketball season, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, "Key figures in the BC point shaving scandal", "James (Jimmy the Gent) Burke, Gangster, 64, of 'Wiseguy' Fame", "Kuhn Gets 10-Year Sentence In BC Point-Shaving Case", "Guilt by Wikipedia: How Joe Streater Became Falsely Attached To The Boston College Point Shaving Scandal", 1946 NFL Championship Game bribery scandal, 2009 Melbourne Football Club tanking scandal, 2012 Olympics women's doubles disqualifications, 2002 Winter Olympics figure skating scandal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=197879_Boston_College_basketball_point-shaving_scandal&oldid=1112461833, 197879 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, College basketball controversies in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 September 2022, at 12:41. I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. Kuhn, 28, was one of five people found guilty of conspiracy to engage in racketeering and other charges that stemmed from a point-shaving scheme hatched for the 1978-79 school season. His testimony continued terribly, he was a nervous wreck, he was rambling about unnecessary information and he couldnt even look in Burkes direction. When he first stepped on the hallowed parquet floor at the legendary Boston Garden, where B.C. For over 30 years, hes been living in Clearwater, Florida, married to his college sweetheart. Im stuck. Walgreens settles West Virginia opioid lawsuit for $83 million. On October 7, My family has suffered. There were a lot of rich kids who went to Boston College. The mobsters Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill met in a nearby jail stayed in touch after serving their time. My girlfriend and I bought a new stereo, television and some furniture. Kuhn, who ultimately served four years in prison for conspiracy and racketeering, hatched a plan with Hill associates Tony Perla, his brother Rocco Perla, and Paul Mazzei to shave points - losing by more than the point spread or winning by less than the point spread - in several BC games between December 1978 and March 1979. You understand? Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. But it wasnt a coincidence that one day, the F.B.I shows up asking me about gambling, and the next day Im no longer with the team. In practice, he was the lunatic who his teammates sucked their teeth and rolled their eyes at when he told the coaches that they needed to run more sprints after an exhausting practice. Hill and Burke were brought into the scheme, after receiving approval from Lucchese family capo Paul Vario. Its the same crew that had a connection to BC basketball player Rick Kuhn, who hailed from the area. I cooperated willingly, and Im glad I did, Sweeney says. On the stand during the trial, Rick Kuhns girlfriend, Barbara Reed, with whom he shared an apartment during his senior year at Boston College, testified that she overheard Kuhn and Sweeney discussing the Fordham game, saying that they had to keep the ball away from Cobb because he shot the ball all the time. Whenever the Boston College scandal comes up, he tends to remind people that theres always more than one side to a story, and leave it at that. The campus was so beautiful. The story breaks to the media and the massive investigation followed. The Nets coaches were telling me, Coach, hes gonna be a great pro., I had a great camp with the Nets and was poised to make the team, said Cobb. When the story first broke, it said that Michael Bowie and I were the ones implicated, said Cobb. The government won convictions against Burke, the Perlas , Mazzei and Kuhn thanks in part to testimony from Sweeney, who was neither charged nor offered immunity. It was national news that brought Cobb, Sweeney, and Kuhn under massive headlines. In this case, while the line may have opened, or at one time gone to two, because of the heavy betting on Holy Cross, the syndicate had to lay as many as seven points, and therefore lost their bet. Seven schools and more than 30 players were implicated in the 1951 probe; more than 20 schools were involved in the 1961 incidents. Suspecting that some bookmakers might be getting wise to the scheme, the conspirators temporarily revised their strategy after the UCLA game. I have an incredible circle of supportive friends and have met some amazing people who have impacted my life in ways that I cant even begin to describe., Mr. The Perla brothers were small-time gamblers who saw the upcoming 197879 Boston College Eagles basketball season as a perfect opportunity to earn a lot of money. We also see Liotta, as Hill, trying to impress Robert DeNiro, who portrayed the mobster Jimmy Burke. In this case, while the spread was as high as 5, the syndicate was able to lay just 2 points, and therefore pushed when Holy Cross won by 2. Greater Boston. A former Boston College basketball player and four other men were charged yesterday with conspiring to fix six basketball games during the 1978-79 season by shaving points. And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! I didnt think anything of it. Rocco has a vague conversation with Cobb over winning certain games, but both sides wont admit to knowing the extent to which he was involved. And as black kids who loved ball in Boston, he represented something for us, giving the younger generation something to aspire toin terms of their basketball skillsbecause he was putting in some serious work.. [ii] Holy Cross ultimately won by only two points, as Cobb scored eight points in the final minute to bring the Eagles close, and everyone involved lost a substantial amount of money. I was nervous because I didnt know what was going to happen. Everybody involved in the scandal got sentenced except for Hill and Sweeney. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A class ring that went missing decades ago has been returned to its owner. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. Fellow player Michael Bowie begins to ask questions, but Sweeney argues that they are still winning. When Henry Hill started threatening Kuhn and Sweeney, promising that they couldnt play with broken limbs, the players, according to Hill, claimed that they were doing their best, but the scheme would never work unless Ernie Cobb was in on the fix. He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. The goal for making some real money is to get the character a TV gig with ESPN, NBC Sports, or another major sports network. They left, and that was that. Rick Kuhn, 55, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022, in his home in West Fargo, ND, surrounded by his family. He dreamed of walking away from Boston College at seasons end as one of the schools most revered sons before embarking on what he hoped would be an accomplished, financially rewarding career in the NBA. The Boston Globe story was initially investigated and written by a young Boston College alumnus named Leslie Visser, who would go on to become a very accomplished, groundbreaking journalist and role model for women who aspired to work in the field of sports media. Hill gave up everybody including the players involved. Prosecutors say man accused in wife's disappearance Googled how to dispose of a body. Film. But conspiring to fix college basketball games got him 20 years. My parents have suffered. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. Sweeney, who went on a year later to win the Naismith Award as college basketballs top player under six feet tall, says he was initially recruited into the fix by Kuhn without his knowledge and that he never intentionally threw an errant pass, missed a shot or did anything else to alter a game. This past August, the International Maxibasketball Federation (FIMBA), the governing body for global organized basketball tournaments for age groups beginning at 30, named him as its USA Ambassador. We werent really checking for B.C. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Walgreens agreed to pay $83 million to settle a lawsuit in West Virginia related to its role in the opioid crisis and its effect on the state, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday. We were all so excited for him. He rebounded well and was a good outlet It is unclear how much money the players involved in the point-shaving scheme were paid. Kuhn explains to Sweeney that they are both going to get killed after not successfully fixing a game against Providence. By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. The next step in the saga is how these players get connected to the mob. They would also ensure protection for the enterprise in the event that the unsuspecting bookmakers, all of whom had toughs at their disposal to collect unpaid debts, discovered they were being swindled. He recently earned his Masters Degree in Education and is currently considering pursuing a Ph.D. I feel like Ive led a remarkable life, he said. I never got to realize my dream of playing in the NBA, but Ive been all over the globe and have experienced so many different and beautiful cultures. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. Two Years Into A Six-Year Contract, The New York Yankees Hope For A Fully Healthy DJ LeMahieu, As Premier League Clubs Court Lindstrom, 22, He Wants To Make History For Club And Country, Paige Spiranac Expands Her Budding Social Media Empire. Literature. The conspiracy unraveled in 1980 after Hill was arrested by New York State authorities on drug trafficking charges and was subsequently implicated in the Lufthansa heist, which occurred while the point-shaving scheme was underway. The narrator explains that the strength of how Henry Hills testimony is would determine if Burke was going to be convicted. The government also contended Kuhn tried to recruit other players, including the team's leading scorer, Ernie Cobb, and Hill said in an article in Sports Illustrated -- for which he was paid $10,000 -- that he made payments to Cobb for his cooperation. Kuhn told people at Boston College later However, Kuhn saw only limited playing time. Web197879 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. He said Hill told him he was backed by powerful interests in New York, and he was afraid of what might happen to him if he refused to cooperate. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. So, in very basic terms, if B.C. was favored to win a game by ten points, Kuhn had to make sure, if the game was in play with the mobsters and the bookies, that they won by less than ten in order for the gamblers to make money. I feel it.. Edward A. McDonald, who coincidentally had graduated from Boston College in 1968 and who had played briefly on the basketball team, prosecuted the case.[2]. Rocco Perla was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. I was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. Convinced that Cobb was innocent after his mentee walked him through everything that had transpired, and certain that he was being used by the federal government to send more organized crime figures to prison, Alswanger began working the phones. He just kept swishing them in, 30 or 35 points, I dont remember., Hill went on to say, And they (Kuhn and Sweeney) were still saying, We got to have Cobb. I realized that and so I passed the word through Tony (Perla), At all costs, talk to him. Next thing I heard Cobb was all set, but it was going to take another $2,500 for his share. Bookmakers, on seeing the heavy action, moved the line as high as twelve to discourage bets on the favorite (St. John's) and attract more bets on the underdog. Hill turned state's evidence in exchange for avoiding prison and possible execution by Burke and the Lucchese family. less serious, the aftermath was compared to the fallout that would occur today. You may opt-out by. The government presented telephone records showing evidence of extensive communications between the conspirators during the 197879 season and records provided by Western Union and various hotels which further corroborated government testimony. Needing an inside man, the brothers wanted to recruit Rick Kuhn, a high school friend of Rocco who was entering his senior year at Boston College and was expected to be a key member of the 197879 Eagles team. Kuhn went on to live a quiet life only talking about the scandal to high school students encouraging them to not make the same mistakes. I saw Ernie score 28 points against the Celtics in one of the final pre-season games when he was with the Nets, said Alswanger, Cobbs former high school coach. Des., University of Florida; MArch, Harvard GSD Professional interests: My passion lies in all things design but specifically in higher education, cultural and civic projects. The point-shaving allegations surfaced during an unrelated investigation into the 1978 theft of $5.8 million from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at New Yorks Kennedy Airport. He went against his lawyers advice and fought back and managed to win his case. If you missed Part I, you can read it here. The Perla brothers mobilized a betting syndicate to maximize their potential gain from the scheme. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. Testifying for the defense, Boston College basketball Coach Tom Davis said at no point during the 1978-79 season did he notice any of his players giving anything less than a 100 percent effort. The 80-minute documentary tells how BC forward Rick Kuhn conspired with two of his hoodlum friends from Pittsburgh to bet against the Eagles. He worked hard in class. Early on, before the season got underway, Cobb says that he was approached by a man from Pittsburgh named Rocco Perla, who hed seen hanging around campus with his teammate, senior forward Rick Kuhn. SELECT OPTIONS SAVE TO CART DETAILS Restrictions: No commercial uses without permission. Barbara Reed, 25, Kuhn's former girlfriend who was living with him at the time, testified that Kuhn uncharacteristically began buying her presents -- a stereo set, a television set and jewelry -- during the winter of 1978-79. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Justice Department Wednesday filed a complaint against a sheriff's department in Cumberland County, Tenn., alleging it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when firing an officer with an opioid use disorder. Result is the outcome of the syndicate's bets. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. Thats why I got into education and coaching. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. will air the latest installment of its acclaimed 30 For 30 series with a look back at the infamous Boston College basketball point shaving scandal from the 1978-79 season. The same channels would be used for the passing of the point spread from Burke and Hill to the players. Bets in this column are given in the format ", Winner is given as either Opp or BC and the margin of victory. Jason Avant Chief Operating Officer at ASTAR, Inc. Danois, Alejandro. I was reading about the Boston College point-shaving scandal of the late 70s and I was wondering whatever became of Rick Kuhn in his later life. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. like that until he got there. And after they put my name out there, and after I admitted to taking that $1,000, they didnt have enough evidence to prosecute me. We get home, I open it up, and theres $1,000 in there.. The problem was Cobb. It was a path that led them to Hills underworld higher-up, Jimmy Burke (the Robert DeNiro character in Goodfellas). This scene gives the audience insight into the type of person Henry Hill was and how hard it was to testify against someone like Burke. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. Holy Cross was favored to win and, consistent with the scheme, were bet on to win by a margin greater than the seven-point spread. won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. The government contended that Kuhn was paid $2,500 per game to manipulate the spread in six games and also was given cocaine and Quaaludes. So, in very basic terms, if B.C. Intentional point shaving on the floor was never proven, and if Hill hadnt later confessed the scheme to prosecutors after getting busted for his other crimes, the whole ordeal might have passed without notice. The police have Henry Hill as an informant in hopes that he will have information on his boss, Jimmy Burke and other mobsters involved in the Lufthansa robbery, where five million dollars was stolen in the heist. The film goes on to show how nobody really made a lot of money from the fix. The Globe, quoting an unnamed source in New York, said the three games in which point-shaving was alleged were a Feb.3 game against Fordham, a Feb. 6 game against St. Johns and a March 1 game in the ECAC Regional Playoffs against Connecticut. With Sweeney making it out with no sentence, the mystery still remains of how involved he really was. Sweeney purposefully misses a free throw to help the fixers win even though he is the best free-throw shooter in the nation. , in very basic terms, if B.C after receiving approval from Lucchese family Bowie and I bought a stereo. Rich kids who went to Boston those mobsters because I didnt know what was going happen. 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