197879 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal. And that kept him in Hills clutches. 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. None of them know that this is only the beginning, as Henry Hill would talk to the FBI launching a massive investigation that would lead to the arrest of famous mobster Jimmy Burke. 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. The fixing begins to wear into Sweeney, who confides in his roommates but never seeks out the proper authority. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. The FBI agent is shocked and doesnt believe him, but begins to ask questions. Sweeney has mostly shunned requests for interviews and book projects over the years, but decided to put his trust in documentary filmmaker Joe Lavine - a fellow native of Trenton, N.J. - who directed the piece for ESPN. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. Purdum, David. 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. At one point, he said accepted $500 from Kuhn, but only to give the illusion of cooperating in the scheme. 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. 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]. and I were the victims of the same circumstances that were beyond our control. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. Kuhn was thus expected to keep the score below the six- to seven-point margin. 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. The final player involved in the fix, Rick Kuhn, is introduced. Sweeney says that he and Maura have almost recouped their costs in launching the character. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. 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. It is similar to how they captured Al Capone on tax evasion, the smaller of his many crimes that would ultimately put him away. According to Hill's testimony, he met with Kuhn and cocaptain Jim Sweeney in a hotel room near Boston's Logan Airport in November of 1978 to cement the deal. Result is the outcome of the syndicate's bets. We have decided to cover the most scandalous of all 30-for-30s, Playing for the Mob. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. Sweeney hears Tony explain that this is the grand finale, Tony claims he never threatened him. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. Those later betters on St. John's lost money because they laid more than the eventual nine point margin of victory. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. When he told Alswanger about the indictment, his old high school coach spoke sternly with him, as he'd done sometwelveyears earlier when Cobb had just returned home fromthe juvenile detention facility. Kuhn grew up to be 6-foot-8, and signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds right after finishing high school. SELECT OPTIONS SAVE TO CART DETAILS Restrictions: No commercial uses without permission. Sometimes, B.C. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Cobb scores 8 points in the last minute of the game only to be blocked in the last seconds of the game. Kuhn was thus expected to keep the score below the six- to seven-point margin. 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. Although a participant in the scheme, Hill was granted immunity from prosecution and testified as a government witness. This offers a students perspective of how they never thought their team could have been fixing teams. Mizzou understands that Hill was doing what he had to do to survive. Keeping Score: Close Shave. Greenfield Recorder, Greenfield Recorder, 27 Apr. Ultimately, nothing happened. . Kuhn explains to Sweeney that they are both going to get killed after not successfully fixing a game against Providence. Bowies reputation was immediately sullied and he subsequently lost his job playing pro ball in Europe when the story broke. Even after being informed of the investigation, he said he noticed nothing unusual after reviewing films of the games. On October 7, I cooperated willingly, and Im glad I did, Sweeney says. 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. It creates suspense as Hill is a mess on the stand and can barely speak under the pressure of snitching on his friends. The structure includes a minute-by-minute analysis, a slow-motion capture of the climax of the story, and a bolded narrative that gives the article structure. She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. Only on occasion does the scandal come up. The scheme was hit or miss early on. Boston College's basketball team ended their 197879 season with a 229 record. Interim Application of Copyright and Trademark Registration in Cochin. 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. 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. I was this poor kid with no financial resources, going on trial with a member of the mob. Film. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978. 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. The scheme thus ended on an unsuccessful note. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. Rick Kuhn, 10 years, Rocco Perla (fixer) four years and a $30,000 fine. Same here, and yet when they did their list of greatest sports scandals a few weeks back (when Miami broke) they didn't have it on there the first day. While Jim Sweeney is also introduced, hes the other captain from a better upbringing: the poster child for BC. It was all so positive.. 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. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Columbia University has announced economist Nemat "Minouche" Shafik will become the university's 20th president and the first woman to serve in the role in its 268-year history. 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 worked hard in class. Were you shaving points for the mob?. Hill gave up everybody including the players involved. 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. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. Boeing's fuel-efficient aircraft design wins $425 million award from NASA. 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. Class ring returned to Texas woman after missing for decades. 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. Said Hill, "I asked the players which of the upcoming games they felt we could shave. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. 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. The film goes on to show how nobody really made a lot of money from the fix. When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. 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. 30 Years After His Exoneration, Former BC Hoops Star Ernie Cobb Is Still Fighting to Clear His Name Pt. Rick Kuhn, 55, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022, in his home in West Fargo, ND, surrounded by his family. 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. Kuhn and two money men were Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. When he was implicated in the scandal, I was shocked.. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. The Boston College case arose out of the Lufthansa investigation. BOSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Rick Kuhn (#35) during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. 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. Mazzeis connection to Kuhn was through fellow gangsters Rocco and Tony Pearla. Rocco Perla and Kuhn were high-school classmates. 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. Tennessee church holding prayer as FAA investigates plane crash that killed 4 members. But, as Sweeney points out, the government didnt need to prove that point shaving actually happened, just that a conspiracy to shave them had. Holy Cross wins by two causing the mobsters to lose hundreds of thousands. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston Colleges top scorer. Sweeney purposefully misses a free throw to help the fixers win even though he is the best free-throw shooter in the nation. [3] Kuhn was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment,[4] later reduced to 28 months. When one of his links leads to a purchase of, say, a LeBron James Fathead, he gets a 15% commission. The Worst Fix Ever. ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 3 Oct. 2014, www.espn.com/espn/chalk/story/_/id/11633538/betting-chronicling-worst-fix-ever-1978-79-bc-point-shaving-scandal. It is quite a ride, so please, enjoy it. I just thank God there is justice.. 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 19787 won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. 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. 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. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. 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. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. He graduated from Woodworth Public School in 1985 and earned a bachelors degree from University of Sioux Falls. On August 12, 2008, an anonymous user edited the Wikipedia article on the scandal, naming former player Joe Streater as an accomplice in the point-shaving, recruited by Kuhn alongside Sweeney. Burke was sentenced to twelve years' imprisonment. 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. Hes a good person. 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. Kuhn told people at Boston College later This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. I was shining at the camp. 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. He killed people. He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. 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. Sweeney had enough of that over a few months 35 years ago to last a lifetime. Director Joe Lavine goes on to feature many references and clips of the movie. ESPNs 30-for-30 sports documentary series is many of our last hopes at seeing historic events from our favorite sports. It is heartening, by contrast, that the integrity of our coaching and athletic staff, as well as that of our current team, was never in question. 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 Hill and Burke were brought into the scheme, after receiving approval from Lucchese family capo Paul Vario. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. View Rick Kuhns profile on LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional community. Literature. The problem was Cobb. She knew the terrain in terms of what I needed to be doing, said Cobb. Apparently, someone called into the online editor the second to inform them of the "miss." FRANK OBRIEN/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 1978 Sweeney, Cobb, and I didnt know what that was all about. 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. Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. 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