I was tremendously focused because I knew that I was going places., In my neighborhood, people didnt go to college, said Cobb. He wanted to win every foot race, every pickup game of basketball and sandlot football, or any other endeavor that ended with a final score and winning result. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. He jumped in the air, as if soaring for a rebound, as cheers filled the courtroom. He had all of this ability, and he worked so hard, said Alswanger. Cobb internalized the subtle looks from his new teachers and administrators, the ones his young mind translated to mean, We dont want you here. He no longer felt encouraged in his new classroom environment, and sensed the sting of judgmental eyes when his hyper personality and wandering mind attracted the attention of adult authority figures. Years later, I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to my high school prom, said Cobb. 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 nave at the time, believing that his exoneration would pave the way for apologies and acknowledgements of his innocence: from the NBA, the federal government and Boston College. 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? There were a lot of rich kids who went to Boston College. As for his role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the truth. He loved the foliage, the fresh air and scenery. Experience for 11 years as a high school mathematics teacher. This has gone on for four years. Im ready to move on from the actual filmmaking process. Drafted #109 in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Jazz. Experience of 5 years in . But I know that its not really in vain, because I know the truth.. Cobb eventually cleared his name and Sweeney was never . If you missed Part I, you can read it here. I just thank God there is justice.. We werent really checking for B.C. 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. You gotta tell me the truth, because I gotta know how to go on this?. From that point on, I wanted to become the best basketball player that I could possibly be.. I was back at home, visiting for the summer and about to return to Israel, Cobb said. His sister was going through some struggles. They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. Heading into his senior season in 1978-1979, as the team captain, Cobb was hoping that he could lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. Or write about sports? Players profiled in the book include Rick Kuhn, who pulled his teammates into the plot and paid for it with a 10-year prison sentence; Jim Sweeney, a prep school graduate and honor student who found himself trapped between gamblers and a conscience that wouldn't let him cheat his teammates; and leading . It all seemed like a fairytale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. Ernie listened intently. I was focused in the moment. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram will play outsized roles in how their respective teams close the season. Profile. NCAA. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. He worked hard in class. Joe Streater was not part of the Boston College point shaving scandal that was popularized this week by ESPN's latest 30 for 30, . 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. 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. He told him that he had talent, but that wasnt enough. I had everything I could have possibly asked for. The main thing was that they were really trying to rehabilitate us and teach us, hoping to turn us around before we became hardened criminals. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams. Coach Alswanger was always schooling me about a winner never quits, a quitter never wins, about integrity, honor and character. I was mesmerized.. 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. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. Most people may conjure up nightmarish images while trying to imagine being incarcerated at such an early age, butErnie's experience wasquite the opposite. 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. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex-convicts Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill. Hed have to start setting goals. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. I think it will always be in the back of my mind somewhere. 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. He was from Norwalk, not far from where I was from. Rick Kuhn during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. After she began working with him, she came to talk to me and said, Oh my god! He talks about how he wanted to be an NBA player. Studied Special education at Grand Canyon University. I think it tells a great story, I think the story is told in an entertaining fashion, he said. The 1978-79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal involved a scheme in which members of the American Mafia recruited and bribed several . We may earn a commission from links on this page. The only problem was that he didnt have enough money to afford one. If the diagnosis was available back then, Im sure they would have found that I had ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Height: 6-3. Find out more. It was the first time he saw the game as something that could improve his life, something that could take him places. Shop sales in every category.Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. The first goals that Alswanger stressed revolved around academics. And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. He killed people. And I dont think it ever stayed with me.. The Boston Globe's Bob Hohler documented Kuhn's role in the scandal and his luring of Sweeney and fellow captain Ernie Cobb in a March 2014 profile: . 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. and I were the victims of the same circumstances that were beyond our control. After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. 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. Some of it happened almost by accident, and some of it happened after years of determined work. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. The Boston Globe reported on Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the federal probe into allegations of point-shaving in three Eagles games. I was having a lot of success, we were turning around the fortunes of the program and I was getting a lot of press in the Boston Globe and area newspapers. Did Uncle Neely Forget Which Side He Plays For? Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? Can you name the Top 25 MLB career leaders in singles, doubles, triples and home runs? "Fixed" follows the point-shaving scandal of the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team. 14, left in first row), and Jim Sweeney (No. The very next day, the Nets cut me., When the F.B.I. Boston College, Draft: Boston College Guard and former Stamfod High School standout Ernie Cobb drives past St. John's Frank Alagia during a game in 1976. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. 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.. It was there, where a whole new world opened up to him. Using extensive background research as well as interviews with the principal characters, Fixed provides the first in-depth reconstruction of the point-shaving scandal involving the 1978-1979 Boston College basketball team, from the genesis of the plot in the summer of 1978, through the uncovering of the scheme during an unrelated investigation in 1980, to the trial that captivated the sports . During his court hearing, the judge sentenced him to a six-month sentence in the Meriden Juvenile Detention Facility. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. I felt valued, that I mattered and that people cared about me. The scam was born when Jimmy Burke (De Niro's Jimmy Conway in the movie) and Hill recruited Boston College players Rick Kuhn, Jim Sweeney, and Ernie Cobb to manipulate scores to cover point spreads. 1956 In 1984, he obtained acquittal for Ernie Cobb, a Boston College basketball star, on federal charge of point-shaving in Brooklyn federal court. But for Bowie, it was too little, too late. It was a beautiful place, way out there in upstate Connecticut, where they treated us well. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. Being at Boston College, when I first got there, was so amazing, said Cobb. COBB, ERNEST CONSTANTINE. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. Masters Degree in Education. erath county rant and rave; springfield, mo jail inmates; essex county hospital center jobs; blanching vs non blanching erythema; star trek next generation cast salaries Some 36 years later, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love lost between key characters Rick Kuhn, Ernie Cobb, and Jim Sweeney, the trio of Eagles allegedly paid to keep scores as close as they . How much he was indebted to it? 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. 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. Jack McCluskey | Special to ESPNBoston.com, '30 For 30' tackles BC point-shaving scandal, Steve Addazio calls Tyler Murphy clincher vs. USC, Harvard's Zack Hodges gets his shot with Colts, Wesley Saunders helps Harvard recover to capture crucial Ivy win, Beanpot final, consolation moved to Feb. 23, Signing Day Notes: Fences going up for local programs, Boston College unveils 25-man recruit class, Northeastern knocks BC from Beanpot throne. Draft: Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft. 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. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. A social worker at the facility, who took notice of Ernies work ethic and burgeoning athletic potential, contacted Herm Alswanger, the varsity basketball coach at Stamford High School, where the youngster would soon enroll upon his release from Meriden. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. The reality is there are only four real contenders. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. And he always managed to be seen cruising around his neighborhood with a new, expensive one. Obviously, the huge message is dont get involved with point-shaving, Lavine said with a laugh. 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. I wanted to play ball, and in order to do that I had to maintain a C average. Johnny Bench is a former MLB catcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983. The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. fellow accused BC players Ernie Cobb and Michael Bowie (who were completely vindicated), law . We got really close and he looked out for me. They made a mistake and we all mess up but its too bad they tossed away a great college basketball experience. Also involved were bookmakers across the . Im not angry at the school. Out of all the schools recruiting him, Cobb decided to accept Boston Colleges scholarship offer. 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. And those people had no patience for me. By his sophomore year, he was a starter on the varsity and an All-League selection. I just knew that not only was I going to make the team, but I was going to be a factor in the NBA. But there was one obstacle that hed have to confront head-on. Sweeney fessed up to taking $500 under duress and escaped prosecution. A Maryland Dumping Site Was Actually A Black Cemetery. He doesnt belong here and I think he can really make something of himself if somebody gives him a chance.. And yeah, I took that money. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. age of adaline comet. 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. Eventually, he became a part of my own family and spent a lot of time over at our house. The teachers lived in our same community and they had relationships with our parents outside of the school. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Ernie Cobb, 24, 5'11", 180-pound star of the team, from Stamford, Conn. won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. Not long after that, I was playing Pop Warner football and needed a mouthpiece. Ernest was born in Harlem, the first son of the . Cobb had been a prolific shooting guard at Boston College in the late 1970s, a team captain whod etched his name into the schools record books as its third-leading career scorer. The final player involved in the fix, Rick Kuhn, is . The Shadow League is a narrative company. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. But she had to work very hard, over some long hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move. He eats it up. It was like this whole new world opened up to him and his desire to succeed was unreal. He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. Kuhn enlisted the help of starters Ernie Cobb . us, College: 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. It all seemed like a fairy tale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. The filmmakers ultimately dont take a side on who did what, instead presenting at times conflicting accounts and letting the audience decide. Data Provided By She also recalled Kuhn saying that Cobb was too into his own game to cooperate with the betting thing, but the New York gangsters were adamant about getting him involved. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Despite never having played organized basketball before, Cobb was moved up to the varsity squad as a freshman. Kuhn was the only player convicted -- receiving a record 10-year sentence -- and served 28 months in prison. He turned to me and said, Coach, Im glad youre sticking up for your kid. You understand? From 1983-87, he served as lead counsel in nationwide class action for 40,000 Xerox pensioners, then the largest class action in Connecticut history, resulting in a settlement that provided increased . I just had to be alone, Cobb told the reporters afterwards. But well come back to that later. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. I didnt think anything of it. I would walk long distances, for miles, out into the suburbs in Greenwich. Also wondered what became of Ernie Cobb. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA. They treated me great. No one in my family had even graduated from high school. Coach Alswanger, I have a confession to make, Ernie told the man sitting across from him. They were just doing their jobs. Cobb insisted on having his day in court, of clearing his name. When he arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Cobbs internal mantra was, I gotta stay eligible. 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