He continues to be involved in sports and is in an older mens basketball league that competes around the world. 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. Their strategy was effective Boston College, a five-point favorite, covered the spread with a 9080 win over Connecticut. Burkes gang had just successfully pulled off the Lufthansa airport heist at New Yorks JFK airport, where theyd stolen an estimated $5 million in cash and $875,000 in jewels, the largest cash robbery in America at the time. So I guess the thought process was, Well, if there were criminal activities going on, it had to be the brothers! My name and picture, and Michael Bowies as well, was on the front page of every newspaper in the country.. Dean Smith, basketball coach at the University of North Carolina and the president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said last night it is standard procedure for coaches to speak to team members about the possibility of point-shaving overtures and to encourage them to report any efforts to persuade them to manipulate scores. Only on occasion does the scandal come up. 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. Riper, Tom Van. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. In the time of COVID-19, sports fans everywhere are trying to find ways to pass the time. BC basketball players Rick Kuhn, Joe Streater and Jim Sweeney were persuaded to fix nine Eagles games during the season. Rick Kuhn, 25, 6'5", 225-pound former high school star at Swissvale Area High southeast of Pittsburgh from 1970 to 1973. The player was Kuhn, a reserve forward on the team. Sweeney hears Tony explain that this is the grand finale, Tony claims he never threatened him. In the summer of 1978, Rocco Perla and his older brother Anthony, back in Pittsburgh, were the ones who initially conceived the point-shaving scheme that would later rock the college basketball world. 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. Music. I cooperated willingly, and Im glad I did, Sweeney says. Murder by Contract orThe Logical Lethality of The American Dream. As a freshman, he played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while the Eagles finished with a disappointing 9-17 overall record. "It really could be far more serious and more of an annual situation than anyone suspects," said Ralph Miller, basketball coach at Oregon State University. On June 23rd, 1983, more than four years after hed played his final game at Boston College, Ernie Cobb was indicted and charged with taking cash bribes to alter the outcomes of games against Harvard, Rhode Island and Fordham. "Boston College's tradition in athletics rests upon the accomplishments of many thousands of men and women. Hill and Burke were brought into the scheme, after receiving approval from Lucchese family capo Paul Vario. I was focused in the moment. 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. The Globe would later admit that they were wrong in reporting that Bowie was involved, after he was not implicated nor investigated by the federal government for any role in the scandal. The conspirators chose the January 17, 1979, game against Connecticut to implement this plan. 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. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. Other times, they didnt deliver as promised, which caused some very dangerous and ill-tempered men to lose large sums of cash. Kuhn's attorney, Gary Zimmerman, said his client recognized the seriousness of his crimes and that his stiff jail sentence 'was a stern warning to other college athletes.'. 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. They all have different versions of the story, but regardless games are going to start being fixed. After winning a few and losing a few, Hill and his gang came to view Cobb and Sweeney as unreliable game-fixers and eventually gave up the scam. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. Its the same crew that had a connection to BC basketball player Rick Kuhn, who hailed from the area. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. I called my buddy Frank Melzer, who was an attorney, said Alswanger. I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. He stopped in my office with his bike with the flat tire and borrowed $20 to get it fixed and to get home. like that until he got there. Thats why I got into education and coaching. They were just doing their jobs. Hill gave up everybody including the players involved. I was forthright and honest with them. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. 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]. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. Visser became the NFLs first female beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned by the paper to cover the New England Patriots. And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! 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. This is important because it shows how it was a poorly run operation. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. I was relishing that moment. I didnt like dealing with a third party I didnt know and had never metBut the word came back that Cobb was enthusiastic and, dont worry Henry, nothing can screw up now., In the 30-for-30 documentary that ESPN just aired, Henry Hill admits that he never talked to me, said Cobb. Thats the real strength of his story, that you pick yourself up and make something of yourself.. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. Still, he feels lucky. The story breaks to the media and the massive investigation followed. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. I didnt know what that was all about. 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. Director Joe Lavine goes on to feature many references and clips of the movie. After his junior campaign, where he converted 52% of his shots, an inordinate number for a small perimeter shooter, and averaged 22.8 points per game, he was recognized as one of the most lethal scorers in the country. 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. Sweeney describes his side of the story, claiming he is invited to dinner with Kuhn and Tony, where he meets Henry Hill who threatens to kill him if he doesnt begin fixing games with Kuhn. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. 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. To allay any suspicions of foul play, they decided to bet on Boston College to win by more than the point spread ("cover the spread") in a game that they were confident the Eagles would win handily. (Rick Kuhn, Photo Credit: bostonglobe.com). 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. Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. 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. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. Mizzou understands that Hill was doing what he had to do to survive. He quickly thrived and was recognized as one of the leagues best players. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. The scheme thus ended on an unsuccessful note. 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.. Sweeney knows hell probably never completely escape the association to the scandal, something he learned to live with years ago. The fixing begins to wear into Sweeney, who confides in his roommates but never seeks out the proper authority. The Boston Globe reported on Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the federal probe into allegations of point-shaving in three Eagles games. Sweeney says that he and Maura have almost recouped their costs in launching the character. ESPN Looks Back On Boston College Point Shaving Scandal And A Player Speaks Out. Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Oct. 2014, www.forbes.com/sites/tomvanriper/2014/10/01/espn-looks-back-on-boston-college-point-shaving-scandal-and-a-player-speaks-out/#3f03989d26b8. According to Ernest Volkman, a crime journalist, Hill learned everything from Jimmy Burke and wanted to reward him with a lucrative scheme which became the BC scandal. Paul Mazzei explains that there is no time to change your mind in their business. 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. I continue to feel like I have to defend myself, all these years later, even after the government tried their case against me and I was found innocent. The scheme continued to work successfully in the December 23 game against UCLA. Mandan, ND 58554 opens in a new window call Rick Kuhn at (701) 663-6385 call Rick Kuhn at Call Me Email Me. It creates suspense as Hill is a mess on the stand and can barely speak under the pressure of snitching on his friends. 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. But its one of the most famous in sports history, to which Sweeneys name will be forever linked. [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. @ChristSchool. Dubbed Playing for the Mob, it documents the twists and turns that brought Sweeney and two other BC players into the throes of New York mobster Henry Hill, whose name later became famous when he was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the 1990 hit movie Goodfellas. Kuhn was thus expected to keep the score below the six- to seven-point margin. The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston Colleges top scorer. Hill reportedly cleared over $100,000 ($373,400 today) and bettors higher up the line were said to have made up to $250,000 ($933,400 today). Theyre no match for us. He told me, Well good, I plan on betting on those games and if you guys win and it turns out like that, Ill take care of you., Man, I was one of the most recognizable athletes on campus and people would come up and talk to me all the time, people I didnt know, Cobb continued. 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. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. 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. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A class ring that went missing decades ago has been returned to its owner. Rick Kuhn, the former Boston College basketball player who was convicted last November, and sentenced last February for his involvement in the point shaving Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. With his name swirling down the vortex of the mob cesspool from the moment the story broke, Ernie Cobb found it difficult to make a living. Sweeney took out one of those little schedule cards, circled the games he thought we could fool around with, and gave the card to me. Hes a good person. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. They greet each other like old friends; there is no bitterness between them. Its gonna be no contest. Playing for the Mob: The Story of College Kids Breaking Bad Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. 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. BOSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Rick Kuhn (#35) during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. With the focus limited to the specific players involved, BCs basketball program didnt suffer at all. Convicted with Kuhn, 26, of conspiracy to commit racketeering and sport bribery and violation of the Travel Act were James Burke, 50, of New York, a reputed organized crime figure who is serving time for parole violation on a 1974 extortion conviction; Paul Mazzei, 37, of Pittsburgh, in jail on a narcotics conviction, and brothers Anthony Perla, 31, and Rocco Perla, 26, of Pittsburgh. In a formal statement issued by its communications office, Boston College said the school's community "is saddened by the fact that one of our former student basketball players has been found guilty of the serious charges of which he was accused . Black Test Car orA Dark Machine of Destruction? His testimony continued terribly, he was a nervous wreck, he was rambling about unnecessary information and he couldnt even look in Burkes direction. Ultimately, nothing happened. Even with the not guilty verdict, he still lost all hope of going to the NBA. After the investigation was completed, Cobb was not named as a defendant in the initial trial, U.S. vs Burke, which opened to a circus of media attention on October 27th, 1981. The teams coach, Tom Davis, kept his job and led the Eagles to a few more strong seasons, including a 1982 Elite Eight appearance, before jumping at a big offer from Stanford and then later moving on to Iowa. The campus was so beautiful. I was having a lot of success, we were turning around the fortunes of the program and I was getting a lot of press in the Boston Globe and area newspapers. 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. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000. Sweeney had enough of that over a few months 35 years ago to last a lifetime. 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. There were a lot of rich kids who went to Boston College. They mentioned the $1,000 that Rocco Perla gave my girlfriend and I told them the truth. 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. According to the Boston Globe, Judge Henry Bramwell, who set sentencing for January 8, 1982, told the jury, "I agree with your verdict." The very next day, the Nets cut me., When the F.B.I. Hill was listed as a co-conspirator, but was not named as a defendant. Professional wrestler Jay Briscoe dies in car accident at 38, Sister Andre, world's oldest living person, dies at 118, Ukraine's interior minister, other officials killed in helicopter crash near school, Qantas flight lands safely after engine trouble prompts mayday call, Meditation may alter gut microbes, study of Tibetan monks suggests. Netflix hiring flight attendant for private jet with compensation up to $385,000. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978. Ive had a grand life, is how he puts it. With Roccos high school buddy Rick Kuhn entering his senior year at Boston College, where he was expected to be a contributor to the schools basketball team, the 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. The Perla brothers mobilized a betting syndicate to maximize their potential gain from the scheme. . 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. 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! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. 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