I have suffered. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. The problem was Cobb. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. He had all of this ability, and he worked so hard, said Alswanger. 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. I really wanted to get to the bottom of it from a personal curiosity [standpoint], and then also knowing that this had to be a great story.. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. I was mesmerized.. But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. Hed averaged 21.3 points per game during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles to a 21-8 record. He craved to clear his name once and for all. August 31, I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. Every accomplishment made me want to work harder. Cobbs older siblings began having brushes with the law. who were in it from the beginning, and Ernie Cobb . He quickly thrived and was recognized as one of the leagues best players. My character grew, along with my basketball skills. He sensed something in that moment, something transformative. My mom raised me to be respectful, so I never talked back or exhibited any violent or aggressive behavior., But I had an overactive imagination and couldnt sit still, he continued. Joe Streater was not part of the Boston College point shaving scandal that was popularized this week by ESPN's latest 30 for 30, . I was bored with my schoolwork and became the class clown. When the story first broke, it said that Michael Bowie and I were the ones implicated, said Cobb. 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.. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. We spoke to everybody, whether they ended up in the film or not.. Who was involved in the Boston College basketball scandal? My moment had arrived. 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. what states require consummation of marriage; new milford ct police scanner; reply to opposition to motion to compel california; environmental opportunities and threats in business; Id like to thank all the people who stuck by me all the time, Cobb said after the verdict was announced. I went into that same Caldors and got arrested again for stealing one.. He saw something worth saving underneath those shoplifting behaviors. Visser became the NFLs first female beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned by the paper to cover the New England Patriots. 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. Coach Alswanger was always schooling me about a winner never quits, a quitter never wins, about integrity, honor and character. He also . As a matter of fact, one thing Im really happy with in this film, is we really did get to everybody, Lavine said. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. I want to be disassociated from it as well. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. These trading cards represent card number 247 in the Topps 1969 baseball card series. From that day on, I became very studious.. He refused to take a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence. But I didnt know if Id be able to handle the academics.. Ron Tompkins is a former major league pitcher who played for the Kansas . To believe that any of 2023's neo-contenders can become bonafide champs over the next few months is to believe that a once-in-a-quarter-century occurrence is about to transpire. During the 1978-78 basketball season, Boston College was the latest team scandalized by a point shaving scheme involving the New York mob. A Trenton, New Jersey, native, Lavine grew up there about the same time as Jim Sweeney -- a schoolboy legend in Trenton who went on to star at BC. I got caught, they arrested me and I had to go to court. October 11th, 2021 , 09:01. My dad was still in my life, but something changed inside of me, said Cobb. 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. Find Ernest Cobb's current house address. There were a lot of rich kids who went to Boston College. I moved on many, many years ago, and I think the worst thing you can do is blame others or even blame yourself because thats kinda like a poison that just stays with you. I didnt know what that was all about. Cobb was always a competitive kid. Will I ever totally leave Boston College? Theyd taken my passport and I had to stay here and face these charges, said Cobb. Good morning!ESPN's "Playing for the Mob" has rekindled embarrassing memories for not only Boston College but also The Boston Globe, 35 . Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. There was no getting around that. He insisted on taking a polygraph test, against his attorneys advice, which he passed. I just knew that not only was I going to make the team, but I was going to be a factor in the NBA. I didnt think anything of it. 1956 UCONN brought in the Governor, judges, you name it., When the letters started coming in, I realized that I had a chance to go to college, said Cobb. After more than a decade spent trying to make Playing with the Mob happen, Lavine is ready to move on to a new project. The game had saved his life, delivered him from peril, from a path leading nowhere, from dysfunction and illiteracy, to an elite college education and a shot at the NBA and a better future. 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. Height: 6-3. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? 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. Ernie Cobb was born in Stamford, Connecticut. rick kuhn boston college now. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. He ate, drank and slept basketball. Ernest Constantine Cobb, passed away peacefully on Feb. 27th, after a long and full life. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. Proactive and highly responsive counselor to students, parents, faculty, community and district needs. 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. Hed have to start setting goals. Confirm that your trade proposal is valid according to the NBA collective bargaining agreement. 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. But well come back to that later. I could have sneezed and they would have sent me to the principals office.. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. Were really happy with it. I excelled. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. He loved the foliage, the fresh air and scenery. Ernie Cobb. When he was implicated in the scandal, I was shocked.. Per Game Team and Opponent Stats. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. Ernest was born in Harlem, the first son of the . I just thank God there is justice.. They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. The reasons for their failure may have been inherent to the whole project. Boom_70, Aug 31, 2011 #5. mrblake New Member. Season School Class GP GS MIN PTS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% OFF DEF TRB AST STL BLK . Years later, I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to my high school prom, said Cobb. Kuhn enlisted the help of starters Ernie Cobb . I told him that he was going to have to work very hard and that he was going to have to do things the right way if he wanted to be successful, said Alswanger. I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. . Im ready to move on from the actual filmmaking process. Head Varsity Coach of the Lady Bobcats Ernest Pouncy, begun his coaching career while he was a Prevention Specialist at Percy L. Julian school in the Roosevelt School District. It was a meaningful existence, a testament to persistence and the strength of believing in the beauty of ones dreams, that hed worked so diligently to reconstruct from the ashes of juvenile delinquency and poverty. But there was one obstacle that hed have to confront head-on. The Boston College coaches practically lived in our gym. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Kuhn was a BC player at the center of the controversy. I knew that I could play basketball with anybody. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. Its one of several seeming contradictions the gangster-turned-informant offers during the film, right along with this doozy early on: I didnt threaten him or nothin, Hill says in the film, I just said, Its hard to play basketball with a broken arm.. A documentary about the Boston College point-shaving scandal is . 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. That includes Rick Kuhn, the former minor league baseball player who started the scandal and who Sweeney says got him involved in it. He was 87. The game had saved his life, delivered him from peril, from a path leading nowhere, from dysfunction and illiteracy, to an elite college education and a shot at the NBA and a better future. 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Cobb admitted to accepting $1,000 but wasn't prosecuted. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. I got to meet Calvin Murphy after the game because Mr. Alswanger knew him, said Cobb. I said, If this dude has cash like that to burn and wants to give me $1,000 because I told him wed destroy Stonehill, sure, Ill take it. Maybe he was trying to cultivate a relationship with me and soften me up for something down the road. He told Ernie that he had to strive to get good grades and work very hard to achieve them, because if he didnt maintain a certain grade-point-average, he wouldnt be eligible to compete. Part 2 can be found here. 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. I could see myself coming into my own one day and doing that. The teachers lived in our same community and they had relationships with our parents outside of the school. The Shadow League is a narrative company. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. . After the four-week trial in 1981, Jimmy Burke was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Paul Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. It was like a paradise to me, coming from where I came from. But it wasnt a coincidence that one day, the F.B.I shows up asking me about gambling, and the next day Im no longer with the team. And, of course, there are betting lines with the pick circled and handwritten box scores with the names of the alleged conspirators highlighted. So Id go up there all the time and get me one. He killed people. Check out the detailed 1976-77 Boston College Eagles Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. . He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. At around the same age, his parents separated, with his father moving across town. But changing his behaviors did not happen overnight. Jim Sweeney was not charged. In the early 1960s, as job prospects dwindled in the area, his father, James Cobb, the 2nd-oldest of 21 kids, decided to move his family up north, which was more industrialized, and hence had more job opportunities than the agriculture-dependent south. But its the points that Cobb and teammate Michael Bowie didnt score during the 1978-1979 season which has spawned a federal investigation. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. Alswanger took Cobb to Madison Square Garden once to see the Knicks play against Calvin Murphy, the scoring dynamo who was considered the best player to ever come out of Connecticut. This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. Hed lost his older brother to drugs. 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. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Press release from the City of Menifee: MENIFEE - Menifee's street projects and construction updates are getting an upgrade! I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. He was 83. Ernie Cobb, G, 1975-79 - 1,760 12. 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. Can you name the Top 25 MLB career leaders in singles, doubles, triples and home runs? So I didnt even go on trial with Kuhn and the mobsters that put the whole thing in motion.. Kenneth Walton, Deputy Assistant Director of the New York FBI, refused comment to the Boston Globe when asked if Cobb and Sweeney were under investigation. I dominated all those guys on the playground and they laughed at me when I got cut. But my high school coach got his friends to take my case, pro bono. NCAA. 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 brothers figured they could make a ton of money. 21, right in first row) were part of the . Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. The filmmakers ultimately dont take a side on who did what, instead presenting at times conflicting accounts and letting the audience decide. Per Game Team and Opponent Stats Table G MP FG FGA FG% FT FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS; Team: 26: 30.6: 72.3.423: 12.9: 18.4.701: 40.6: 11.1: City State. Lavine was able to get Sweeney, Hill, before he died, Ernie Cobb, Boston College's leading scorer that season, Michael Bowie, another player on the team, and others from the FBI agent on the case . I would walk long distances, for miles, out into the suburbs in Greenwich. But for Bowie, it was too little, too late. His sister was going through some struggles. 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