''Every college athlete may now come under suspicion from coaches and fans. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. 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. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Surprise! I was eating Rory Sparrow up, who went on to have a decent NBA career, in that camp. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. 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. After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. Tony and his brother Rocco were pals with Rick Kuhn. Did it start out with a loss for the gamblers on Dec. 6, 1978, when Boston College handily beat Providence, 83-64? By Brian Carome. 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. Best Massachusetts Sports Betting Promos Coming In March, DraftKings To Launch Streaming Service Of Sports Betting Content, Kentucky Derby 2023 Basic Bets And Tips For Beginners, Proposed Encore Boston Harbor Expansion Draws Mixed Opinions, Pro Sports Leagues Form Responsible Sports Betting Advertising Coalition, NFL Draft Betting Rules Set By Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Online Lottery Seemingly A Matter Of When, Not If In Massachusetts. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. They knew how to shave, because when I tried to explain to them, they said, Naw, we know all that shit.. (Photo by Frank O'Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) PURCHASE A LICENSE. Also, maybe dont do business with mobsters? Sweeney and Kuhn were best friends at Boston College. The fixing was over. A forward for Boston Colleges basketball team, he wasnt the strongest player and was more interested in partying. I feel it.. The other defendants were all found guilty, with Kuhn, Mazzei and Tony Perla sentenced to 10 years, while Rocco Perla got four. The investigation will reportedly include reports by The Commercial Appeal of Memphis and Sports Illustrated magazine that the school's basketball coach, Dana Kirk, offered $10,000 to relatives of the all-American Keith Lee while recruiting the 6-foot-10-inch forward four years ago. To cover his tracks, Hill also bet on BC to win games without involving the players. With Rocco's high school buddy Rick Kuhn entering his senior year at Boston College, where he was expected to be a contributor to the school's basketball team, the brothers figured they. An obvious lesson here: Crime doesnt pay. The FBI didnt have to prove the games were fixed, only that there was a conspiracy to manipulate the scores. Hill went into witness protection and died in 2012 of a heart attack. The center is a 6 ft. 8 in. In 1949/50, 33 players across seven teams shaved points. 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. Opponents of legalized college sports betting argue that adding regulations will only encourage irresponsible gambling. 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. would play a few games each year, Cobb was awash with emotions. I don't question $1,000, give it to me.. Being at Boston College, when I first got there, was so amazing, said Cobb. I was relishing that moment. In early February, Boston College was scheduled to play two New York State teams, Fordham and St. John's. He was the polar opposite of Kuhn, which made him perfect in Hills eyes. FRANK O'BRIEN/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 1978 Win some, lose some Ernie Cobb now coaches the. They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. But you might not know that the mobsters portrayed in the film were responsible for one of the biggest scandals in basketball history, and that it was this scam, rather than the numerous robberies and murders, which saw the most powerful Irish-American gangster of all time incarcerated for the rest of his days. The other two kids made whatever choices they made, but look what was done to Ernie. Pope Francis says Vatican involved in ongoing effort to end Ukraine war. In testimony before the President's Commission on Organized Crime, the former player, Rick Kuhn, said he thought college basketball players were most vulnerable to offers from gamblers ''in their junior and senior years, when it becomes reality that they're not going to have lucrative careers as players.'' My family has suffered. Required fields are marked *. 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. Hill mentioned the point shaving scam, which the FBI were completely unaware of. Jim Sweeney was not charged. We werent really checking for B.C. 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. A Cooperative Kuhn Has Life Threatened. 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. But that didnt matter. Oh, yeah. Further successful bets followed in games against Fordham and St. Johns. In Sports Illustrated's expos, Hill claimed it was against Harvard on December 16. I watched the boys throw the ball out of bounds, and it was gorgeous, he said. Kuhn, Mazzei and Tony Perla were convicted and sentenced to 10 years. The other vital parties were the bookmakers, and it was very much a plural, as Hill explained. To Cobb, it felt like he was being asked for insider info on the team and their prospects. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball forward Richard Kuhn and four other people were indicted today on federal racketeering and bribery charges in a point shaving scheme, the FBI announced . At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. He jumped in the air, as if soaring for a rebound, as cheers filled the courtroom. 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.. April 30 (UPI) -- Cuba has postponed its annual International Workers' Day parade for the third time in more than 60 years as fuel shortages hamstring the country. The pair reunited once Hill was released in 1978, and Mazzei introduced him to his friend, Tony Perla. Hill stated that, at the time, he and Burke were watching the game on television at Burke's home in Queens, and Burke put his foot through the television in anger at having lost $50,000 ($186,700 today). Apparently, someone called into the online editor the second to inform them of the "miss." I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. 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. Bookies reckon the 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature battle will be a close race between five writers. 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. Kuhn would be responsible for ensuring, by his play on the court, that Boston College fell short of the point spread. In among the many questions he asked, McDonald enquired as to why he had been going to Boston so frequently. In a point-shaving scandal that sticks in the memories of many, three Boston College players became embroiled in a betting scheme conceived by gamblers Henry Hill, Rocco and Tony Perla, and Paul Mazzei. I understand that they want to disassociate themselves from the scandal. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. 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. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. When he returned to the United States, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he became a Special Education teacher and high school basketball coach. The second day of the three-day hearing on organized crime's involvement in gambling operations focused on sports betting, particularly in college basketball. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. 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. Ed Guevara, a former FBI Special Agent, recalls viewing hours of footage. 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.. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. 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 test run for the scheme proved unsuccessful when Boston College's team established an early lead and ultimately won the game by nineteen points. Kuhn said he spent much of the game on the bench, unable to affect the outcome. I didnt know what that was all about. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. 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. But as a drug-using gangster who feared for his life, its unsurprising that his recollections were inconsistent. 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. 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). Point shaving is a form of fixing. 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. The same channels would be used for the passing of the point spread from Burke and Hill to the players. A BC captain, Cobb was implicated in the scheme but denies fixing games. Cool and wet conditions return to California, West Coast. I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. Its from Martin Scorseses GoodFellas, a film widely considered one of the best ever and among the greatest examples of the gangster genre. Perla believed that Kuhn was the type of guy who would "do business." Zimmerman also asked the court to consider Kuhn's 'crime-free background' and his cooperation with federal authorities in the Cobb case. This has gone on for four years. Gambling can be addictive. May 1 (UPI) -- First Republic Bank was sold Monday to JPMorgan Chase, as regulators seek to calm a turbulent banking sector that has now seen three U.S. banks fail in less than two months. The fifth man convicted, Paul Mazzei, 37, of Pittsburgh, is imprisoned for a narcotics violation and is scheduled to be sentenced for the point-shaving scheme Feb. 12. But for Bowie, it was too little, too late. 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 process, in which some BC. 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. We've analysed the best Fantasy Premier League picks ahead of Game Week 34. Id call Rick (Kuhn), Id tell him the point spread on the Boston College game, and Rick would say if theyd have a chance or not.. Self-described Boston College basketball fixer, he confessed the conspiracy to agents investigating the signature crime of his mob crew, the Lufthansa heist immortalized in Goodfellas. Recruited into scheme by Mazzei. 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) or win by the required margin (cover the point spread), allowing gamblers in the know to place wagers against that team and win. I was focused in the moment. I didnt think anything of it. Ex-convict at center of scheme, was connected to Kuhn by one of the players high school friends. NEW YORK -- The ex-girlfriend of a former Boston College basketball player accused of trying to rig games testified that her former boyfriend and another player once joked about how they. If you missed Part I, you can read it here. I opened up the door and it was these guys from the F.B.I., said Cobb. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. Sweeney had no doubts regarding the severity of what he was involved in. The Perla brothers were small-time gamblers who saw the 1978-79 Boston College basketball season as a perfect opportunity to earn a lot of money. [1] ESPNs Playing for the Mob, a 30 for 30 documentary narrated by Liotta, interviews all the living participants, including former coaches and law enforcement officials. Julie Walker has written, edited and designed words at five Michigan newspapers and websites. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. And while he was willing, he couldnt engineer results alone, so Kuhn suggested they employ his friend Jim Sweeney. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? Rick Kuhn was an older player who was friends with Sweeney and a tough, street smart kid with a different upbringing than Sweeney. 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. He turned to me and said, Coach, Im glad youre sticking up for your kid. The motley crew next ensnared Boston Colleges leading scorer, Ernie Cobb. Mr. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the scores of six games that season to provide betting coups for gamblers. The drug dealer, Paul Mazzei, introduced the mobster, Henry Hill, to his friend, Tony Perla. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. Sweeney has said Kuhn told him this would be the final fix. It would also increase the likelihood of scandals like the BC one, they say. 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. 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. May 1 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX launched a Falcon Heavy rocket with a payload of satellites from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday after having to abort the mission days earlier. 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 loved it in Israel, the fans loved me and the people were so beautiful. We get home, I open it up, and theres $1,000 in there.. Enter Rick Kuhn, a senior forward for the Boston College basketball team during the 1978-79 season. Kuhn agreed to participate, and brought in his teammate Jim Sweeney.[1]. ''Rather,'' Judge Bramwell said before imposing sentence, ''he emerges as a somewhat greedy individual. Betting big money on college basketball is very hard because very few bookies get into it seriously. As it was, BC were beaten 98-96 and the money was lost, thanks to Cobb scoring eight points in the final minute. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile.. While residents eagerly await March 10 for legalized Massachusetts sports betting, we look back on the breach that mixed gamblers and mobsters with student-athletes in the late 1970s. 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. Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. Cleanly summarizing this story feels futile, but well try. He killed people. According to Hill in Wiseguy [2] - Nicholas Pileggis book which became the basis for GoodFellas - Perla had been cultivating Kuhn for over a year. . The conspirators decided that these games presented especially good opportunities because New York bookmakers generally accepted large bets for New York teams. 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. Kuhn was convicted for his role in the scheme and now lives in southwest Pennsylvania. Yes, all of our slot games have a free play mode where you can use demo credits to play the gam Any recount of the BC points-shaving scandal should come with a free CharlieCard for a story with more twists and turns than the citys T system. Its gonna be no contest. 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. Greg Abbott to not follow through with his "inhuman and dangerous" plan to send more migrants and asylum seekers from his southern state to her city. Either way, the mob were unhappy that the plan hadnt worked. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. 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", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=197879_Boston_College_basketball_point-shaving_scandal&oldid=1150370795, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 19:55. But Kuhn was a player of limited ability, so he recruited his roommate and best friend, who also happened to be the most important player on the floor, the teams senior point guard, Jim Sweeney. They had Kuhn approach Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on the team, but it has never been proven if Cobb agreed to cooperate. It was like a paradise to me, coming from where I came from. The stories from all participants have changed in various interviews and often contradict each other. The syndicate was very happy with this result, and Kuhn was given cash to distribute to the players for their efforts. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. 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. That friend was Rick Kuhn, a 6-foot-5 senior forward on scholarship with the Eagles. Sports Promos. Burke instructed Hill to warn the players to keep to their end of the deal because "you can't play basketball with broken hands.". Henry Hill later played by Ray Liotta in GoodFellas - was serving time for extortion, and befriended a drug dealer called Paul Mazzei. The conspirators chose the January 17, 1979, game against Connecticut to implement this plan. Boston College Men's Basketball's 1977-1978 Season. 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 upheld last Friday by a unanimous decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. Kuhn said the gamblers did not keep their promise to pay him $2,500 for every game, some of which Boston College lost. Perla and his brother, Rocco, were into numbers rackets. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. 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. The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. 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. Jimmy loved to beat bookmakers and Paulie liked to beat anybody., Hill flew to Boston in December 1978 for a meeting with the men involved. 197879 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal. Hill and Burke were brought into the scheme, after receiving approval from Lucchese family capo Paul Vario. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA. Federal prosecutor who investigated the case and BC graduate. Based on the 30for30 ESPN documentary on this scandal, Kuhn's story changed multiple times regarding this. 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.'. 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. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. 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. Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. It was one of the most tremendous feelings Id ever experienced.. Gambling.com is tracking sport cancellations (and eventual resurgences) on an interactive map below. Live Betting. No source was given for this claim, with Streater's last appearance for the team occurring in the 197778 season, but this claim remained for more than five years, resulting in a number of media sites including Bleacher Report, ESPN and Yahoo News erroneously naming him as a point-shaver.[5]. 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. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. 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. But I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. I have suffered. Theres a whole network., The odds were set in Sin City. I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. Id led the pro league in scoring over there and signed a very nice contract. ''It looked like big money,'' said Kuhn, who is 29 years old, and whose 10-year sentence has been reduced to a scheduled 28 months after he appealed for a reduction. I had a relentless type of game.. Rick Kuhn, the former Boston College basketball player who was convicted last November, and sentenced last February for his involvement in the point shaving scandal during the 1978-79 basketball season, told Federal authorities last May that his life had been threatened because of his decision to cooperate in the case, according to The . 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. 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. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. 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. Shaved down, one could call the story simple: A few college hoops kids helped take down a deadly gangster. "I'd call Rick (Kuhn), I'd tell him the point spread on the Boston College game, and Rick would say if they'd have a chance or not." Fixing The Games 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. With echoes of the downfall of Al Capone half a century earlier, Jimmy Burke was convicted for fixing basketball games when prosecutors were unable to construct a case against him for his most notorious crimes, which included the Lufthansa heist and his alleged role in the cover-up murders which followed. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/26/sports/rick-kuhn-recalls-point-shaving-case.html. This page is not available in other languages. 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. 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. But in the first game the scheme was tested, against Providence College, Boston College won by nearly double the point spread. Instead, theyd shave points to win against the spread. Hill was listed as a co-conspirator, but was not named as a defendant. After perhaps his greatest moment during the preseason, when he had that outstanding game against the Celtics right before the regular season tipped off, Cobb was relaxing in his hotel room when he heard a knock at the door. [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. Beautiful, as Hill told SI. A former Boston College basketball player who has spent two years in prison for conspiring with professional gamblers to rig games told a Federal commission on crime yesterday about his role in the scandal and warned college athletes not to ''jeopardize their futures'' by succumbing to the temptations of ''big money.''.