Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. Sweeney, who went on a year later to win the Naismith Award as college basketballs top player under six feet tall, says he was initially recruited into the fix by Kuhn without his knowledge and that he never intentionally threw an errant pass, missed a shot or did anything else to alter a game. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile., Copyright 2009-2021, All Rights Reserved | The Shadow League. won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. When Henry Hill started threatening Kuhn and Sweeney, promising that they couldnt play with broken limbs, the players, according to Hill, claimed that they were doing their best, but the scheme would never work unless Ernie Cobb was in on the fix. Kuhn told people at Boston College later And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! Sweeney goes on to sell his computer service company and make millions. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. The phone calls flooded in from his friends and family in Boston and Connecticut, with despaired voices on the other end asking, Did you do this? Later, Mazzei hears that Kuhn is able to start fixing games. On October 7, It was all so positive.. [3] Kuhn was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment,[4] later reduced to 28 months. They had Kuhn approach Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on the team, but it has never been proven if Cobb agreed to cooperate. We have decided to cover the most scandalous of all 30-for-30s, Playing for the Mob. Overall, the real end to the Boston College point-shaving scandal is the trial, the main conflict of the film. I have an incredible circle of supportive friends and have met some amazing people who have impacted my life in ways that I cant even begin to describe., Mr. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. I felt like, You put my name out there, so let me clear my name! When they investigated me, I told them straight up about the $1,000 that Rocco Perla had given me. The 80-minute documentary tells how BC forward Rick Kuhn conspired with two of his hoodlum friends from Pittsburgh to bet against the Eagles. Hill and Tony Perla claim that they were all doing cocaine and Kuhn and Sweeney begin marking games that they are favored in and talking about all the money they will make. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. So, in very basic terms, if B.C. 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. Visser became the NFLs first female beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned by the paper to cover the New England Patriots. 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.'. 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. I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. View Rick Kuhns profile on LinkedIn, the worlds largest professional community. They greet each other like old friends; there is no bitterness between them. Boeing's fuel-efficient aircraft design wins $425 million award from NASA. Today, any coach would be a goner for sure, cited at the very least for that catchall sin, lack of institutional control. Just ask former Ohio St. football coach Jim Tressel, who lost his job in 2011 thanks to a few players swapping some used cleats for free tattoos at a local parlor. She knew the terrain in terms of what I needed to be doing, said Cobb. The Perla brothers proposed a simple scheme: they, along with Kuhn, would select certain basketball games where the projected point spread separating Boston College from its opponent was expected to be significant. He stopped in my office with his bike with the flat tire and borrowed $20 to get it fixed and to get home. Cobb's trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 31 before Judge Leonard Wexler. 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. Kuhn agreed to participate, and brought in his teammate Jim Sweeney.[1]. 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.. His testimony essentially corroborated that of Hill, who went into witness protection. 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 player was Kuhn, a reserve forward on the team. To establish Hills character, the film showcases numerous scenes from Goodfellas, including when Hill, under trial, is rewarded for not snitching on his family associates. It was the government's contention that the scheme originated when Mazzei contacted Burke and said he had a friend in Pittsburgh who knew a player on the Boston College team and that there was a possibility for a betting scheme in which they could make thousands of dollars. ESPNs 30-for-30 sports documentary series is many of our last hopes at seeing historic events from our favorite sports. In the time of COVID-19, sports fans everywhere are trying to find ways to pass the time. The government also contended Kuhn tried to recruit other players, including the team's leading scorer, Ernie Cobb, and Hill said in an article in Sports Illustrated -- for which he was paid $10,000 -- that he made payments to Cobb for his cooperation. Twice, in 1951 and 1961, the sport was rocked by scandal. Golub was a brilliant lawyer, and he told me that hed have to interview Ernie first to see if he was gonna take the case on. 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 film begins by showcasing the classic movie Goodfellas and how this story is all wrapped up in the real-life events that inspired the movie. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. 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. But Cobb denied receiving any money and he was not indicted. All of those guys walkedin his footsteps., He was the African-American guard in the modern era of B.C. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. It was national news that brought Cobb, Sweeney, and Kuhn under massive headlines. He quickly thrived and was recognized as one of the leagues best players. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. (In some of the Boston College games cited, the Eagles were underdogs and lost by more than the point spread.). When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. I didnt know what that was all about. She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. 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. "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. The government presented telephone records showing evidence of extensive communications between the conspirators during the 197879 season and records provided by Western Union and various hotels which further corroborated government testimony. Hill turned state's evidence in exchange for avoiding prison and possible execution by Burke and the Lucchese family. Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. Black Test Car orA Dark Machine of Destruction? Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. When he was implicated in the scandal, I was shocked.. In papers made public Monday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, Kuhn's attorney argued his client's sentence was 'excessive,' and should be reduced because Kuhn has been cooperating with prosecutors in the case. 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. 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. Rick Kuhn, 55, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022, in his home in West Fargo, ND, surrounded by his family. I was eating Rory Sparrow up, who went on to have a decent NBA career, in that camp. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The husband accused in the New Year's Day disappearance of Massachusetts mother of three Ana Walshe made a series of Internet searches about dismembering bodies and disposing of them, prosecutors said in court Wednesday. Regardless of what the audience thinks, the eyes of the law he is not guilty. 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. Barbara Reed, 25, Kuhn's former girlfriend who was living with him at the time, testified that Kuhn uncharacteristically began buying her presents -- a stereo set, a television set and jewelry -- during the winter of 1978-79. 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. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. Fellow player Michael Bowie begins to ask questions, but Sweeney argues that they are still winning. 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