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. SELECT OPTIONS SAVE TO CART DETAILS Restrictions: No commercial uses without permission. Justice Department files complaint after officer fired for opioid use disorder. Twice, in 1951 and 1961, the sport was rocked by scandal. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Netflix wants to hire a flight attendant for one of its private jets, and says pay can reach $385,000, according to a job listing on the streaming service's website. For all I know, he told them I was in, that it would cost an extra $2,500 per game and he was trying to hustle the gangsters while pocketing the extra money. While Jim Sweeney is also introduced, hes the other captain from a better upbringing: the poster child for BC. Thats why I got into education and coaching. Hes a good person. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. The 197879 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal involved a scheme in which members of the American Mafia recruited and bribed several Boston College Eagles men's basketball players to ensure the team would not win by the required margin (not cover the point spread), allowing gamblers in the know to place wagers against that team and win. Other times, they didnt deliver as promised, which caused some very dangerous and ill-tempered men to lose large sums of cash. Teammate Rick Kuhn, a former minor league baseball player with connections to small-time Pittsburgh mobsters, conspired with the mobsters to initiate the point-shaving The headlines in Boston, and around the country, said that Cobb and fellow senior Michael Bowie, the teams two African-American stars, were the players that were implicated. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. But what was I going to do, take it to court?It was here that they began telling Perla we would have to have Cobb. Hill and Tony Perla claim that they were all doing cocaine and Kuhn and Sweeney begin marking games that they are favored in and talking about all the money they will make. Keeping Score: Close Shave. Greenfield Recorder, Greenfield Recorder, 27 Apr. The audience gets one on one interviews with each person to see the scandal from their perspective. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. In early February, Boston College was scheduled to play two New York State teams, Fordham and St. John's. Lawyers for the defendants said they will appeal the verdict. Rick Kuhn, 10 years, Rocco Perla (fixer) four years and a $30,000 fine. Sports. Rick Kuhn, 55, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022, in his home in West Fargo, ND, surrounded by his family. Mazzei and the Perlas were particularly hopeful that Hill would enlist the support of his associate, James Burke, to finance the payments to the players and to set up a network of bookmakers who were in on the scheme. Cmon, you can do it. She was a remarkable individual that helped me so much, in terms of establishing the study and work habits that allowed me to be successful in the classroom.. The prosecution contended that the scheme was intended to enable the five men to win large sums of money by betting on the games and beating bookmakers' point spreads. Their strategy was effective Boston College, a five-point favorite, covered the spread with a 9080 win over Connecticut. The February 6 game against St. John's was a "push" (winning back exact bets), as the syndicate neither won nor lost when St. John's prevailed 8576, the exact point spread (nine) the bookmakers had offered.[i]. Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. All of Henry Hills and the Perla brothers information was coming from Rick Kuhn, and who knows what he was saying to them to cover his own skin., (Jim Sweeney, Photo Credit: tampabay.com), Kuhn and Sweeney got in over their heads, Cobb continued. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. 30 Years After His Exoneration, Former BC Hoops Star Ernie Cobb Is Still Fighting to Clear His Name Pt. The jury of eight women and four men reached its verdict after three days of deliberations and a trial that lasted five weeks. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. 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. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. Whats going on? We werent really checking for B.C. For over 30 years, hes been living in Clearwater, Florida, married to his college sweetheart. The players as well as the mobsters believe that this failed fix would be their last, the players graduate and the mobsters move on. The narrator explains that the strength of how Henry Hills testimony is would determine if Burke was going to be convicted. The test run for the scheme proved unsuccessful when Boston College's team established an early lead and ultimately won the game by nineteen points. After narrowly missing the NBA - Cobb was among the last players cut by the New Jersey Nets in 1980 - he played professionally in Israel and later became a high school coach in Phoenix. Director Joe Lavine goes on to feature many references and clips of the movie. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. As a backup center with limited effect on a games outcome, he won over the mobsters by bringing Ernie Cobb, the teams leading scorer, and Sweeney, the point guard who controlled the ball for much of the game, into the fold. He went against his lawyers advice and fought back and managed to win his case. The story read, in part, as follows: Ernie Cobb tossed in 1,760 points in a stellar basketball career at Boston College and only two other Eagles scored more. The problem was Cobb. Art. Although Cobb and Sweeney received money and were a part of the scandal, the FBI did not prosecute them in the first round and were primarily focused on getting the mobsters. Kuhn told people at Boston College later It would fit with ESPN, which reports sports but also has an underlying self-deprecating humor, is basically his pitch. Although a participant in the scheme, Hill was granted immunity from prosecution and testified as a government witness. Confident from their recent success, the conspirators viewed the February 10 game against Holy Cross as an opportunity to reap the full benefits of their scheme. (In some of the Boston College games cited, the Eagles were underdogs and lost by more than the point spread.). I cooperated willingly, and Im glad I did, Sweeney says. Snitching is seen as one of the worst things you can do to a business partner, but to these people, it is just water under the bridge. Only on occasion does the scandal come up. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. 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. The former friends work hard to cast blame and the true conversations that went on between the mobsters and players will never be discovered. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. This has gone on for four years. 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. I got through it on my own, and I didnt get whacked, is how he sums it up. 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 conspirators decided that these games presented especially good opportunities because New York bookmakers generally accepted large bets for New York teams. I never lied about that. Enraged by their gambling loss, the Perla brothers, along with Mazzei, Burke, and Hill, decided to recruit additional Eagles players to enhance their control over the outcome of the games. Bruce Pearl, a normal student in the class of 1982, is introduced and talks about the smart, diverse basketball players. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. After a four-week trial, each conspirator was convicted on charges of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to commit sports bribery, and interstate travel with the intent to commit bribery. This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. And in that article in Sports Illustrated, Henry Hill says, The word came back that Cobb was enthusiastic. The key phrase there is The word came back. I dont know what Rick Kuhn was telling Henry Hill or the Perla brothers. But its one of the most famous in sports history, to which Sweeneys name will be forever linked. Rick was born on October 14, 1966, in Jamestown, ND, to Timothy Kuhn and Marretta (Deede) Kuhn. There were times when the work got really hard, when I wanted to give up, when I had to stay up all night reading or studying or writing papers, and shed be right there pushing me, telling me, You cant give up! 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. Later, Mazzei hears that Kuhn is able to start fixing games. 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. Mazzei in turn contacted Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate from New York who had befriended Mazzei while both men were serving sentences in a federal prison. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. However, Kuhn saw only limited playing time. Said Hill, "I asked the players which of the upcoming games they felt we could shave. We get footage of the games and the scheme continued, but no one knew just how much the fixers made. He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. Zimmerman also asked the court to consider Kuhn's 'crime-free background' and his cooperation with federal authorities in the Cobb case. We had a good old time. 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. I have suffered. Jason Avant Chief Operating Officer at ASTAR, Inc. Mizzou understands that Hill was doing what he had to do to survive. He sold copy machines and paved driveways for an asphalt company, which was ironically the same job his father found when hed relocated from North Carolina to Connecticut some twenty years earlier. He told me to keep playing and working hard and that one day I might get another chance., When the story first broke in January of 1981, Cobb was in shock. They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. On October 7, They said they were trying like hell but they couldnt get the job done because Cobb was the key man on the team., After Boston College beat Holy Cross 89-87 in the first game between the two schools that season, Hill said in SI, Well, B.C. At this point in the film, we stray away from the actual point-shaving and more into the consequences and investigation after the fact. Although Cobb maintains that he received money from Rocco, he claims it was just for winning the game even though Rocco claims he knew for sure. Kuhn tells Sweeney that the mobsters in New York and Pittsburgh want this win and that this will be the last fix. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The husband accused in the New Year's Day disappearance of Massachusetts mother of three Ana Walshe made a series of Internet searches about dismembering bodies and disposing of them, prosecutors said in court Wednesday. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. Thus, for example, if participating bookmakers determined Boston College to be an eight-point favorite in a particular game, Kuhn would be paid a bonus, usually $2,500, if they won by less than eight points. . 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. It was a sweet victory for prosecutors against Burke, for whom they failed to even build a charge against for his biggest crime, the famous $6 million Lufthansa heist. Id led the pro league in scoring over there and signed a very nice contract. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. But he did take money. Ive had a grand life, is how he puts it. According to the Boston Globe, Judge Henry Bramwell, who set sentencing for January 8, 1982, told the jury, "I agree with your verdict." When he arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Cobbs internal mantra was, I gotta stay eligible. With those persistent affirmations dancing through his mind, he took his academic responsibilities seriously from day one. Rocco says Sweeney told him he missed it to avoid a pair of cement shoes. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978. My moment had arrived. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. Staff. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. 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. Man, I would watch Jo Jo White, Dave Cowens and John Havlicek playing on television, on that same famous floor where Bill Russell and Bob Cousy and all of those great Celtics teams won all those championships, said Cobb. The whole team is confused as Sweeney hides on the bench. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court hears Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools to rule on financial compensation for a deaf student who was not provided proper learning support. By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. Kuhn agreed to participate, and brought in his teammate Jim Sweeney.[1]. less serious, the aftermath was compared to the fallout that would occur today. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. Im stuck. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. The next step in the saga is how these players get connected to the mob. 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. For the conspiracy to work, the men knew they would need the cooperation of other players on the team, according to the testimony of Henry Hill, a convicted felon and the key prosecution witness. Seven schools and more than 30 players were implicated in the 1951 probe; more than 20 schools were involved in the 1961 incidents. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. A federal jury in Brooklyn yesterday convicted former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn and four codefendants of conspiring to manipulate the scores of Boston College games during the 1978-79 season. talked to the Nets, their head coach Kevin Loughery called him in and said, You know why I have to let you go, said Alswanger. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000. He didn't want to be bothered with these kids anymore." It was national news that brought Cobb, Sweeney, and Kuhn under massive headlines. Danois, Alejandro. Sweeney agreed to cooperate claiming he was forced to help with the fix, Kuhn came clean about the whole operation, and Cobb was cut from the Nets after the FBI visited him despite him not having any real information. Kuhn explains to Sweeney that they are both going to get killed after not successfully fixing a game against Providence. He said he would have done that if the sides were reversed. The Perla brothers mobilized a betting syndicate to maximize their potential gain from the scheme. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. Sweeney knows hell probably never completely escape the association to the scandal, something he learned to live with years ago. 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. I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. Holy Cross wins by two causing the mobsters to lose hundreds of thousands. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. Several college coaches, contacted at the time that news of the investigation broke, said point shaving -- when the favored team tries to win by less than the point spread -- in basketball is almost impossible to detect and that there is no way of telling how much, if any, point shaving goes undetected. The fixers changed the original plan and bet on Holy Cross, but the players were told this right before the game. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. Burke was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment. At one point, he said accepted $500 from Kuhn, but only to give the illusion of cooperating in the scheme. But Cobb denied receiving any money and he was not indicted. I want to be disassociated from it as well. Playing for the Mob: The Story of College Kids Breaking Bad The conviction of former Boston College basketball player Richard Kuhn for his involvement in the point shaving scandal during the 1978-79 basketball season was Being at Boston College, when I first got there, was so amazing, said Cobb. When one of his links leads to a purchase of, say, a LeBron James Fathead, he gets a 15% commission. 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. Its gonna be no contest. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. 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