In this game, UCLA was favored to win over the Eagles by a fifteen to eighteen-point spread, so the syndicate bet on them to win by a margin greater than the point spread. 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. As nobody had any inkling that point shaving had occurred, that shouldve been the end of it. Ed Guevara, a former FBI Special Agent, recalls viewing hours of footage. Truth About Boston College Points-shaving Scandal May Never Be Known Its very hard to detect. Sweeney was a self-confessed bookworm from an exclusive Jersey prep school, where he was all state in three sports. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. Hello I am making a movie on the scandal and my Director would like me to pursue the story as told by the players. Proponents argue that legal and regulated sports betting would actually reduce the chances of another BC scandal. I was shining at the camp. But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. Hill got picked up on drug trafficking charges in 1980. In the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic Johnson was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakersafter leading Michigan State University to the National Championship over Larry Birds Indiana State team. I want to be disassociated from it as well. They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. Using Kuhn for an introduction, the men also lured in point guard Jim Sweeney. The Perla brothers had a connection to the Eagles through forward Rick Kuhn, who was a high school friend of Rocco. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? He really set the tone in terms of being a strong, dynamic, willful player that wondrous talents like John Bagley, Michael Adams and Dana Barros, all of whom went on to play ball in the NBA after their careers at B.C., followed. When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. In another, he says the fixing began with a big win for the wise guys when Boston College, favored by 12 points, beat Harvard by just three, 86-83. We had a good old time. May 1 (UPI) -- Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is urging Texas Gov. FRANK O'BRIEN/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 1978 Win some, lose some Ernie Cobb now coaches the. Thats why I got into education and coaching. The court papers said Kuhn of Swissvale, Pa., has agreed to testify against former teammate Ernie Cobb, 27, a basketball player from Stamford, Conn. Cobb has pleaded innocent to a charge of conspiring to commit sports bribery,a charge stemming from the point-shaving scandal. The centerpiece of today's hearing was the testimony of Kuhn, who was convicted in 1981 along with four gamblers for conspiracy to commit sports bribery and other crimes stemming from a point-shaving plot at Boston College during the 1978-79 season. Instead, theyd shave points to win against the spread. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. Please play Responsibly. In 2014, the ESPN-produced 30 for 30 series debuted Playing for the Mob,[6] the story about how Hill and his Pittsburgh associates, and several Boston College basketball players, perpetrated the point-shaving scheme during the 197879 season, an episode briefly mentioned in the movie Goodfellas. He was furious. 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. [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. Also involved were bookmakers across the East Coast. This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. Shaved down, one could call the story simple: A few college hoops kids helped take down a deadly gangster. He looked like a little choirboy, a legitimate kid, he said. April 30 (UPI) -- One person is dead and five more are injured after a shooting early Sunday morning at a house party in Lawrence, Mass. While the line may have been as low as 13 at some point, the syndicate had to lay 15, and therefore lost their bet when Rhode Island won by only 13. Result is the outcome of the syndicate's bets. The motley crew next ensnared Boston Colleges leading scorer, Ernie Cobb. McDonald has answered questions about Mr. Cobb's status by say ing that the Justice Department's investigation is continuing. As he walked across the scenic campus, marveled at the schools architectural splendor or ate until his hearts content in the dining hall, hed often pause to quietly give thanks for his fortunate circumstances. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. "Ive bought him a colour TV and paid for some work on his car.". I had a relentless type of game.. A few blocks from Boston College, the place that held so much meaning to him, where hed worked so hard to create his lifes purpose, the symbolism was inescapable when he found that he had a flat tire. A Cooperative Kuhn Has Life Threatened. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn, jailed for his 1981 conviction in a point-shaving scandal, has asked for a reduction of his 10-year prison sentence. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. If there was a poster of what a student athlete at Boston College is supposed to look like, it was Jim Sweeney.. Hill flew into Boston, at the behest of Jimmy Burke, late in 1978 to meet with Mazzei, the Perlas, Kuhn and Sweeney at the Logan Airport Hilton and ensure that everything was in place. Kuhn was sentenced to 10 years in prison, later reduced to 28 months. Said Hill, "I asked the players which of the upcoming games they felt we could shave. Kuhn was thus expected to keep the score below the six- to seven-point margin. So I didnt even go on trial with Kuhn and the mobsters that put the whole thing in motion.. 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. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. 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. Edward McDonald was a Federal Prosecutor who interrogated Hill in May 1980. #10. You realize that you cant play if you dont do this. Hill brought in his mentor, Jimmy Burke, to finance the operation and set up a network of bookies who could advance the financial potential of the scheme. Boston College confirmed the investigation on Friday. I told him, I think were gonna blow them out, we look really good. Im stuck. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. They treated me great. Point-Shaving Trial Starts Today The Heights, Volume LXI, Number 35 They mentioned the $1,000 that Rocco Perla gave my girlfriend and I told them the truth. He is benched in his final year. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. '30 For 30' tackles BC point-shaving scandal - Boston Colleges - ESPN The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. Rocco Perla received a four-year sentence and Rick Kuhn was sentenced to a ten-year bid as well, which was later reduced to 28 months. I didnt know what that was all about. Sports Promos. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978. I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. Hill revealed his involvement in the point-shaving scheme, offering to relate the full story if federal officials would guarantee him full immunity and would agree to intercede on his behalf to convince state officials to drop the drug charges pending in state court. He tried to subsist as a substitute teacher, and even caddied at the Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, the affluent suburbs where hed previously been arrested for stealing bikes as a kid. The other defendants were all found guilty, with Kuhn, Mazzei and Tony Perla sentenced to 10 years, while Rocco Perla got four. Enter Rick Kuhn, a senior forward for the Boston College basketball team during the 1978-79 season. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Hill had no issue telling people what they wanted to hear, as was seen when he spoke to the FBI in order to save his own skin. 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. But in the first game the scheme was tested, against Providence College, Boston College won by nearly double the point spread. I needed a string of bookmakers, maybe 10 or 15. If the limit is $25,000, then anything above that, they call somebody else and get them to take it. Pope Francis says Vatican involved in ongoing effort to end Ukraine war. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. It was like a paradise to me, coming from where I came from. And who better than the teams top scorer, Ernie Cobb? 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. First he and Rick wanted $3,500 a game, but I wound up chewin em down to $2,500., Sweeney took out one of those little schedule cards, circled the games he thought they could fool with, and gave the card to me, said Hill. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Other times, they didnt deliver as promised, which caused some very dangerous and ill-tempered men to lose large sums of cash. Hes a good person. Who was asking and how much they were paying probably influenced what Hill revealed each time. Rick Kuhn - College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Whatever his understanding, Cobb underperformed in the Harvard game, scoring 12 points when he averaged 23. Mr . Hill went into witness protection and died in 2012 of a heart attack. Confirm your email address in the email you will receive shortly. All say that when watching the games, its impossible to determine if muffed plays were done purposely or just honest mistakes. Kuhn and Hill say hes lying. The game was televised so Hill and Burke watched together, having staked $85,000 between them. Henry Hill later played by Ray Liotta in GoodFellas - was serving time for extortion, and befriended a drug dealer called Paul Mazzei. The scheme was hit or miss early on. Regulated operators also have safety checks in place to help protect those with gambling addictions. I don't question $1,000, give it to me.. Mr. Kuhn, who is 26 years old, showed no emotion and would not comment after Judge Henry Bramwell of United States District Court in Brooklyn had imposed concurrent terms of 10 years for violation of Federal racketeering statutes and five years each for conspiracy and interstate gambling. An obvious lesson here: Crime doesnt pay. BOSTON - FEBRUARY 14: Rick Kuhn (#50) during Boston College men's basketball's 1977-1978 season. Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan. Rick Kuhn Sentenced to 10 Years - The New York Times Julie loves lakes, bonfires, Dachshunds, coaching Little League and carrying on her Dads fantasy football legacy that he started in 1987 before there was an app for that. We were all so excited for him. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Your email address will not be published. Did it start out with a loss for the gamblers on Dec. 6, 1978, when Boston College handily beat Providence, 83-64? To Cobb, it felt like he was being asked for insider info on the team and their prospects. Man City treble odds are in demand and Parimatch are offering new customers a price boost on it. If betting sites set the spread believing a team will by win seven points, the fixers bet against them and the corrupt team tries to win by six or fewer. The syndicate was very happy with this result, and Kuhn was given cash to distribute to the players for their efforts. Out of everything that happened, thats one thing that hurts me tremendously, Cobb said. It had to cost around $200,000 at the time to defend me.. Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn will go on trial today for his alleged participation in a "point shaving" incident during the 1978-1979 basketball season. Three of Mr. Kuhn's co-conspirators were sentenced by Judge Bramwell on Jan. 22. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. In 1949/50, 33 players across seven teams shaved points. Kuhn would be responsible for ensuring, by his play on the court, that Boston College fell short of the point spread. For example, if the Eagles were favored by 10, the mobsters would want the players on the take to make sure the team won by nine points or less. He also connected with Hill to power the ring. The FBI didnt have to prove the games were fixed, only that there was a conspiracy to manipulate the scores. Cleanly summarizing this story feels futile, but well try. He is appealing Mr. Kuhn's conviction, and the defendant will remain free on $50,000 bail pending the outcome of that appeal. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. If you missed Part I, you can read it here. Law enforcement officials were ecstatic. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. I didnt think anything of it. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf.
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