A documentary about the Boston College point-shaving scandal is . They couldnt stop him. Most people may conjure up nightmarish images while trying to imagine being incarcerated at such an early age, butErnie's experience wasquite the opposite. I just knew that not only was I going to make the team, but I was going to be a factor in the NBA. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The film also benefits from the fact that most of those involved agreed to speak on camera, including Sweeney, fellow accused BC players Ernie Cobb and Michael Bowie (who were completely vindicated), law enforcement officials and all the principals on the organized crime side of the story. Jim Sweeney was not charged. Location unknown)Boston College's Ernie Cobb pulls down a rebound off his own shot against Holy Cross's Leo Kane during a men's college basketball. Class of 1979. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Data Provided By The first goals that Alswanger stressed revolved around academics. He doesnt belong here and I think he can really make something of himself if somebody gives him a chance.. 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. 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. I think it tells a great story, I think the story is told in an entertaining fashion, he said. We had a good old time. He loved being able to play ping pong, shoot pool and go swimming, but there was one place at the facility that he loved above all others: the gymnasium. Cobb admitted to accepting $1,000 but wasn't prosecuted. The third-highest scorer in BC history with 1,760 points, he was a co-captain with Sweeney in 1978-79, when he averaged 21.3 points a game. He insisted on taking a polygraph test, against his attorneys advice, which he passed. 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. Lavine said Kuhn was very open but declined to go on camera, so his side of the story is told instead mostly through court testimony. The Boston College coaches practically lived in our gym. . The abbreviated version of events reads like this:the Perlas brought in a Pittsburgh hood named Paul Mazzei, who contacted his friend Henry Hill, an associate of New Yorks Lucchese crime family that had befriended him during a stretch in federal prison. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. But its the points that Cobb and teammate Michael Bowie didnt score during the 1978-1979 season which has spawned a federal investigation. I was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. I went into the Caldors department store in downtown Stamford when I was about 12 years old and tried to shoplift one, he said. 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. Hed averaged 21.3 points per game during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles to a 21-8 record. At trial in 1981, the government's case consisted primarily of the testimony . Id also developed a reputation in school as a troublemaker. He was naive at the time, believing that his exoneration would pave the way for apologies and acknowledgments of his innocence: from the NBA, the federal government and Boston College. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. Sweeney said he decided to cooperate with Lavine and co-director Cayman Grant because he believed they would treat the subject fairly. Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. His mother, Hattie, worked as a domestic and struggled to provide for her four children. Three Boston College players, Jim Sweeney, Rick Kuhn, and Ernie Cobb were fingered by Hill for participating in the scandal. Studied Social Studies at Boston College. By his sophomore year, he was a starter on the varsity and an All-League selection. I think it will always be in the back of my mind somewhere. A failed minor league baseball player from Pittsburgh turned college basketball player in Boston. 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. Couldnt they see how grateful he was, that hed never cheat the thing that gave his life such meaning and purpose? Bowies reputation was immediately sullied and he subsequently lost his job playing pro ball in Europe when the story broke. His competitive desires were satisfied with all of the recreation activities that were offered. I feel it.. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. On June 23 rd, 1983, more than four years after he'd played his final game at Boston College, Ernie Cobb was indicted and charged with taking cash bribes to alter the outcomes of games against . After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. Every accomplishment made me want to work harder. And as black kids who loved ball in Boston, he represented something for us, giving the younger generation something to aspire toin terms of their basketball skillsbecause he was putting in some serious work.. But she had to work very hard, over some long hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move. He refused to take a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence. So for me to have a chance to go to college, that was so exciting to me.. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? At 11:05 a.m., U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his judgment. 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. They were comparing him to Calvin Murphy, the great pro, who was similar in stature and who was from Connecticut, said Alswanger. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He refused to take a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence. On Saturday morning, March 24, 1984, a tiny blurb in newspaper sports sections across the nation read: Ex-basketball star Ernie Cobb was acquitted Friday of taking part in a point-shaving scandal that rocked Boston College in 1978-1979, and tearfully asked for a fair shot to resurrect his chances at a pro career. Old Greenwich was a really rich neighborhood, and theyd have all these beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn. A fitness fanatic who augmented his training by swimming and riding his bicycle very long distances, Cobb hopped on his ten-speed shortly after the indictment was announced and began pedaling. rick kuhn boston college now 19 3407 . As a junior, he averaged 37.6 points per game and was named All-State. 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. He was adamant that he would take the stand in his own defense, despite his lawyers pleas not to do so. Career Length: Rookie More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. Professor Emeritus Richard Cobb-Stevens, a widely praised phenomenology scholar who chaired the Philosophy Department for nine years and played a leadership role in the revision of Boston College's core curriculum during the early 1990s, died on July 6. On Friday morning, March 23rd, the jury came back with a unanimous innocent verdict for Ernie Cobb, exonerating him of all charges. Jim Sweeney and Ernie Cobb) were brought to trial for point-shaving during the '78- '79 season. Tools and Resources Used by Real General Managers. Canvas; Clever; Edgenuity; Email / Office 365 / One Drive; Enroll Online; Gaggle (CTE) GCU Learning Lounge; Gradpoint; HMH Reading Inventory; Illuminate Student Log in Rocco Perla was sentenced to four and Kuhn was released after 28 months. And I never go there, like, coulda, woulda, shoulda, because that would only lead to frustration. But as it turned out, the trial was simply one chapter of many in his life, and not the defining one. The Ernie Cobb-as-point-fixer story is ancient, but I'm still that guy who supposedly got away with something." Jim Sweeney during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. I just thank God there is justice.. Thoughts continuously raced through Cobbs mind: How had he arrived here, he wondered, of all places, charged with allegedly conspiring to commit sports bribery while allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob? We werent locked in individual cells. He sensed something in that moment, something transformative. At 11:05 a.m., United States District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his judgment. I wanted my name cleared and it took a long time.. The Boston College case arose out of the Lufthansa investigation. The story: Three Boston College players -- leading scorer Ernie Cobb, forward Richard Kuhn and Sweeney, the team's point guard -- were fingered by Hill for participating in the point-shaving scheme. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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. Browse our public records directory to see Ernest Cobb's contact info, age, cell phone number, email address, social media profiles, and more. Ernie Cobbs story, in retrospect, is a modern-day adaptation of a Horatio Alger novel, seemingly lifted straight from the pages of Ragged Dick, where the impoverished boy, through determination, honesty and courage, rises out of despair, toward a life of comfort and respectability. As a matter of fact, one thing Im really happy with in this film, is we really did get to everybody, Lavine said. He was 87. You realize that you cant play if you dont do this. We get home, I open it up, and theres $1,000 in there.. My dad was still in my life, but something changed inside of me, said Cobb. Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. Also involved were bookmakers across the . The film represented something of a white whale for executive producer and co-director Joe Lavine, who for years attempted and failed to get the project green-lighted before finally landing at ESPN. Im going off on the basketball court, scoring like crazy, the gamblers are losing their shirts, and they start talking about, We have to have Cobb. Anybody thats ever seen me play knows that I was only stuck in one gear, and that was super-charged-turbo! The reality is there are only four real contenders. High School: St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) Possessing a powerful combination of size, speed and football intellect, Luke Kuechly "looked like Clark Kent and played like Superman." He amassed the second-most career tackles in the NCAA record books, becoming the most decorated defensive player in Boston College history. I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. 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. who were in it from the beginning, and Ernie Cobb . Here was someone who believed in him, someone who was willing to work with him and teach him about this game of basketball, which he loved more than anything. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. I was practicing every day and so angry at the coach who cut me, said Cobb. Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. Many long-time fans are now familiar with the Boston College basketball point shaving scandal, where the Mafia, led by wiseguy Henry Hill, recruited and bribed several members of the 1978-79 . Ron Tompkins is a former major league pitcher who played for the Kansas . But by his sophomore year, when he was inserted into the starting lineup, it was apparent that the 5-foot-11 scorer brought a dimension to the Boston College squad that it sorely needed when he averaged 17.4 points per game. October 11th, 2021 , 09:01. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. I walk in the bathroom, and who was in there but Peter Vario, the big-time mobster that was on trial with Ernie, said Alswanger. In that moment, something transformative coaches practically lived in our gym defining one super-charged-turbo. 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