Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. Snitching is seen as one of the worst things you can do to a business partner, but to these people, it is just water under the bridge. He quickly thrived and was recognized as one of the leagues best players. It was a path that led them to Hills underworld higher-up, Jimmy Burke (the Robert DeNiro character in Goodfellas). 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. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. He recently earned his Masters Degree in Education and is currently considering pursuing a Ph.D. I feel like Ive led a remarkable life, he said. 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. Kuhn's sentence was the heaviest ever imposed on a college player convicted of point shaving. We were looking good as a team and my goal was to be the best player I could possibly be. Rocco Perla and Kuhn were high-school classmates. The government won convictions against Burke, the Perlas , Mazzei and Kuhn thanks in part to testimony from Sweeney, who was neither charged nor offered immunity. Overall, the real end to the Boston College point-shaving scandal is the trial, the main conflict of the film. won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. 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. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. The jury of eight women and four men reached its verdict after three days of deliberations and a trial that lasted five weeks. Sweeney was not charged. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000. Rocco has a vague conversation with Cobb over winning certain games, but both sides wont admit to knowing the extent to which he was involved. Paul Mazzei explains that there is no time to change your mind in their business. I told him, I think were gonna blow them out, we look really good. Mandan, ND 58554 opens in a new window call Rick Kuhn at (701) 663-6385 call Rick Kuhn at Call Me Email Me. He worked hard in class. Copyright 2023 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 30 Years After His Exoneration, Former BC Hoops Star Ernie Cobb Is Still Fighting to Clear His Name Pt. 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. I want to be disassociated from it as well. This is when the documentary transitions to the Pittsburgh mobsters and how they meet. Kuhn explains to Sweeney that they are both going to get killed after not successfully fixing a game against Providence. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I loved it in Israel, the fans loved me and the people were so beautiful. We had a good old time. Hes a good person. In the time of COVID-19, sports fans everywhere are trying to find ways to pass the time. 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. Mazzei and the Perlas were particularly hopeful that Hill would enlist the support of his associate, James Burke, to finance the payments to the players and to set up a network of bookmakers who were in on the scheme. His testimony continued terribly, he was a nervous wreck, he was rambling about unnecessary information and he couldnt even look in Burkes direction. On October 7, This past August, the International Maxibasketball Federation (FIMBA), the governing body for global organized basketball tournaments for age groups beginning at 30, named him as its USA Ambassador. 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. He gave me every opportunity to tell my story, says Sweeney of Lavine. Everybody involved in the scandal got sentenced except for Hill and Sweeney. Kuhn went on to live a quiet life only talking about the scandal to high school students encouraging them to not make the same mistakes. Sweeney goes on to sell his computer service company and make millions. Rick Kuhn, the former Boston College basketball player who was convicted last November, and sentenced last February for his involvement in the point shaving In addition, they were given the opportunity to bet the money they were paid and double their winnings. I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. It would fit with ESPN, which reports sports but also has an underlying self-deprecating humor, is basically his pitch. Although Cobb maintains that he received money from Rocco, he claims it was just for winning the game even though Rocco claims he knew for sure. I never lied about that. 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 five men could each receive a maximum sentence of 30 years in jail and $45,000 in fines. Boeing's fuel-efficient aircraft design wins $425 million award from NASA. The story breaks to the media and the massive investigation followed. The 197879 Boston College Eagles men's basketball team represented Boston College during the 197879 NCAA men's 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. 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. I just had to be alone, Cobb told the reporters afterwards. 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. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA. The February 6 game against St. John's was a "push" (winning back exact bets), as the syndicate neither won nor lost when St. John's prevailed 8576, the exact point spread (nine) the bookmakers had offered.[i]. Seven schools and more than 30 players were implicated in the 1951 probe; more than 20 schools were involved in the 1961 incidents. 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. Kuhn would be responsible for ensuring, by his play on the court, that Boston College fell short of the point spread. He rebounded well and was a good outlet 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. By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. "He said he had a betting thing set up in a way to make money during the season so that we could be taken care of," said Reed, now a nurse in Syracuse, N.Y. Reed also testified that Kuhn threatened to kill her if she ever told of the scheme. Sweeney has won several FIMBA tournaments as a player in the 50-plus division. FRANK OBRIEN/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 1978 Sweeney, Cobb, and She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. 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 197879 Eagles team. Sweeney had enough of that over a few months 35 years ago to last a lifetime. 2015, www.recorder.com/Archives/2015/01/spt-KeepingScore-GR-012415. But he did take money. Rick Kuhn during Boston College men's basketball's 1977-1978 season. Whats going on? Des., University of Florida; MArch, Harvard GSD Professional interests: My passion lies in all things design but specifically in higher education, cultural and civic projects. 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 When he returned to the United States, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he became a Special Education teacher and high school basketball coach. Hill revealed his involvement in the point-shaving scheme, offering to relate the full story if federal officials would guarantee him full immunity and would agree to intercede on his behalf to convince state officials to drop the drug charges pending in state court. So I didnt even go on trial with Kuhn and the mobsters that put the whole thing in motion.. Danois, Alejandro. BOSTON - NOVEMBER 17: Rick Kuhn (#35) during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. This is an important part of the documentary because it shows the respect they have for one another regardless of the past. 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 He says that Hill once referenced his girlfriend Maura (now his wife) in one of his threats, asking Sweeney how would your honey feel if she saw your --- hanging in a bracelet? He also says that other mob clichs like references to cement shoes are not just the stuff of Hollywood. 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. (In some of the Boston College games cited, the Eagles were underdogs and lost by more than the point spread.). The movie begins by introducing the key Boston College basketball players and the Pittsburgh mobsters. 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! 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. I was shining at the camp. Hill and Burke both were convicted of extortion in 1972 in Florida and have been prime suspects in the Dec. 11, 1978, robbery of almost $9 million from the Lufthansa Cargo Terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Rocco Perla was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Result is the outcome of the syndicate's bets. 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. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. Said Hill, "I asked the players which of the upcoming games they felt we could shave. 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. Art. Dean Smith, basketball coach at the University of North Carolina and the president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said last night it is standard procedure for coaches to speak to team members about the possibility of point-shaving overtures and to encourage them to report any efforts to persuade them to manipulate scores. I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. But Cobb denied receiving any money and he was not indicted. Testifying for the government, Sweeney acknowledged meeting with Hill but said that although he agreed to participate in the scheme he never intended to go through with the deal. Kuhn was thus expected to keep the score below the six- to seven-point margin. (Joe Dennehy/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Save PURCHASE A LICENSE Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you want to use this asset. ESPN Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. Joe Beaulieu, the starting center on the 1978-79 Boston College team, also testified he was approached by Kuhn to participate in the plan, but he said he rejected the proposal. Bowies reputation was immediately sullied and he subsequently lost his job playing pro ball in Europe when the story broke. 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. 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. This has gone on for four years. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Boeing's sustainable flight demonstrator project won a $425 million award Wednesday from NASA, as the company aims to roll out green single-aisle airliners by the end of the decade. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. 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.. Playing for the Mob: The Story of College Kids Breaking Bad Kuhn, who ultimately served four years in prison for conspiracy and racketeering, hatched a plan with Hill associates Tony Perla, his brother Rocco Perla, and Paul Mazzei to shave points - losing by more than the point spread or winning by less than the point spread - in several BC games between December 1978 and March 1979. The mobsters Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill met in a nearby jail stayed in touch after serving their time. For the conspiracy to work, the men knew they would need the cooperation of other players on the team, according to the testimony of Henry Hill, a convicted felon and the key prosecution witness. Theyd taken my passport and I had to stay here and face these charges, said Cobb. Rick Kuhn, 55, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022, in his home in West Fargo, ND, surrounded by his family. He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. 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. A witness is interviewed and says, The rat one.. The goal for making some real money is to get the character a TV gig with ESPN, NBC Sports, or another major sports network. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. It was national news that brought Cobb, Sweeney, and Kuhn under massive headlines. My family has suffered. Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? "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. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. They would also ensure protection for the enterprise in the event that the unsuspecting bookmakers, all of whom had toughs at their disposal to collect unpaid debts, discovered they were being swindled. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A class ring that went missing decades ago has been returned to its owner. Several college coaches, contacted at the time that news of the investigation broke, said point shaving -- when the favored team tries to win by less than the point spread -- in basketball is almost impossible to detect and that there is no way of telling how much, if any, point shaving goes undetected. I thought he might have been a student, because he was young and I saw him hanging around Rick Kuhn all the time. Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. Jason Avant Chief Operating Officer at ASTAR, Inc. The FBI finds all the players and begins asking questions. 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. I dont know if they recognize it, but B.C. The conspirators chose the January 17, 1979, game against Connecticut to implement this plan. I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. Bruce Pearl, a normal student in the class of 1982, is introduced and talks about the smart, diverse basketball players. This offers a students perspective of how they never thought their team could have been fixing teams. 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.'. 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. He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams. I got through it on my own, and I didnt get whacked, is how he sums it up. Twice, in 1951 and 1961, the sport was rocked by scandal. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. Staff. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. They had Kuhn approach Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on the team, but it has never been proven if Cobb agreed to cooperate. Visser became the NFLs first female beat writer in 1976, when she was assigned by the paper to cover the New England Patriots. The scheme continued to work successfully in the December 23 game against UCLA. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. 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. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. 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. Even with the not guilty verdict, he still lost all hope of going to the NBA. They all have different versions of the story, but regardless games are going to start being fixed. Later, Mazzei hears that Kuhn is able to start fixing games. This is where my focus has been for the last 10 years. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf. The fixing begins to wear into Sweeney, who confides in his roommates but never seeks out the proper authority. If this film has taught us anything, it is that it doesnt matter which side was more at fault, ultimately the decisions they made changed their lives forever. After a four-week trial, each conspirator was convicted on charges of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) conspiracy, conspiracy to commit sports bribery, and interstate travel with the intent to commit bribery. I opened up the door and it was these guys from the F.B.I., said Cobb. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. England Patriots, game against Connecticut to implement this plan over a few.. To Hills underworld higher-up, Jimmy Burke ( the Robert DeNiro character in Goodfellas ) every... Player I could possibly be Mazzei hears that Kuhn is able to start fixing games in Europe when the,! Team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster sentenced except Hill. 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' imprisonment $ 425 million award from NASA rick kuhn boston college now basketball was getting closer I dont if... College player convicted of point shaving he also says that other mob clichs like references to cement shoes are just. Change your mind in their business was rocked by scandal aircraft design wins $ million! Award from NASA work successfully in the 6th Round and cut during training camp than... Amarginal player with little going for him was rocked by scandal any money and was... Kuhn and the Pittsburgh mobsters at all costs, talk to him 2023 United Press International, all!