He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. I have suffered. COBB, ERNEST CONSTANTINE. He insisted on taking a polygraph test, against his attorneys advice, which he passed. Rocco comes up to me and says, Hey, sometimes I bet on games and I wanna know how you think you guys are gonna do against Stonehill and Bentley? said Cobb. Kuhn enlisted the help of starters Ernie Cobb . Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. ET on ESPN. We are not making it all up in our heads, thinking well of Kris Dunn because we want to: he has real talents to bring, and a body that for the time being will allow him to use them. It was one of the most tremendous feelings Id ever experienced.. Season School Class GP GS MIN PTS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% OFF DEF TRB AST STL BLK . Ernie Cobb, 24, 5'11", 180-pound star of the team, from Stamford, Conn. One of his early passions was racing remote-controlled cars. The campus was so beautiful. 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. We might have worn the hand-me-downs of the families that she worked for, but we always had clean clothes. 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. 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. Learn more and register. As for his role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the truth. 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.. I wanted to play ball, and in order to do that I had to maintain a C average. Ernie Cobb, and Hill said in an article in Sports Illustrated -- for which he was paid $10,000 -- that he made payments to . I think it will always be in the back of my mind somewhere. But as it turned out, the trial was simply one chapter of many in his life, and not the defining one. A wake will be held for Dr. Cobb-Stevens on Monday, July 16, from 4-7 p.m. at the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 475 Main . 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. and I were the victims of the same circumstances that were beyond our control. 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 had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. 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. And I dont have that. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. It was all so positive.. Select the third team from the drop down menu. I was bored with my schoolwork and became the class clown. 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. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. I excelled. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Ernie Cobbs family roots were planted in the dirt soil of Raleigh, North Carolinas tobacco fields, where he was born in 1956. Detroit Mercys Antoine Davis Creeping Up On Pistol Pete Maravichs All-Time NCAA Scoring Mark, A Poor Mans Danny Ainge A Poor Mans Jeff Hornacek: Michael Cooper Torches JJ Redick, I Guard 1 Through 5 | Heats Bam Adebayo Believes He Is NBAs Best Defender And Has Been The Past Two Years. 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. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. Sometimes, B.C. Per Game Team and Opponent Stats. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Id like to thank all the people who stuck by me all the time, Cobb said after the verdict was announced. 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. 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 . Ernie Cobb weighed 180 lbs (81 kg) when playing. Im stuck. Birthplace/Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut, Height: 5-11 (180cm) Weight: 180 (82kg), Current NBA Status: Unrestricted Free Agent. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. I had the complete package, said Cobb. Press release from the City of Menifee: MENIFEE - Menifee's street projects and construction updates are getting an upgrade! I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. We never starved. You understand? Man, I was really into bikes, Cobb said. He refused to take a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence. He quickly thrived and was recognized as one of the leagues best players. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. 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. He sold copy machines and paved driveways for an asphalt company, which was ironically the same job his father found when hed relocated from North Carolina to Connecticut some twenty years earlier. The arresting officer for the second incident took an interest in the young kid, and saw more than just a young man escalating into juvenile delinquency. I would walk long distances, for miles, out into the suburbs in Greenwich. Thats the story chronicled by the latest edition of ESPNs 30 for 30 documentary series, Playing for the Mob, which premieres Tuesday night at 9 p.m. Last Name. October 11th, 2021 , 09:01. I was lightning quick, could run up and down, go left or right and could score from anywhere on the floor., He was breaking every record you could think of and by his junior year, people were saying, Whoa! Class of 1979. Who was involved in the Boston College basketball scandal? The very next day, the Nets cut me., When the F.B.I. Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. He just loves to play basketball. 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. The filmmakers ultimately dont take a side on who did what, instead presenting at times conflicting accounts and letting the audience decide. The 1978-79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal involved a scheme in which members of the American Mafia recruited and bribed several . The Shadow League is a narrative company. That includes Rick Kuhn, the former minor league baseball player who started the scandal and who Sweeney says got him involved in it. Every accomplishment made me want to work harder. Were you shaving points for the mob?. He killed people. 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. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. I was forthright and honest with them. That fascination only increased when the mobster who fingered Sweeney hit the big screen years later in Martin Scorseses Goodfellas., Every year I would pitch this story, Lavine said. But I know that its not really in vain, because I know the truth.. And yeah, I took that money. 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 . 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: We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. | Jackson State Ices Thee Pregame Show, Detroit Mercys Antoine Davis Creeping Up On Pistol Pete Maravichs All-Time NCAA Scoring Mark, A Poor Mans Danny Ainge A Poor Mans Jeff Hornacek: Michael Cooper Torches JJ Redick. He said, Ernies the only kid who listened, did everything he was supposed to do and never tried to run away. He turned to me and said, Coach, Im glad youre sticking up for your kid. He saw that I was heading in the wrong direction and tried to mentor me.. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. 1975 TOPPS BASEBALL SET #197 ERNIE BANKS-FOX CHICAGO CUBS EX Sold by wlbjr | Ends on 2023-03-06 23:50:31 Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. It all seemed like a fairytale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. The Ernie Cobb-as-point-fixer story is ancient, but I'm still that guy who supposedly got away with something." It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. He was this little guy who could score like crazy! How much he was indebted to it? Three basketball players at Boston College Jim Sweeney, Ernie Cobb, and Richard Kuhn became entangled with members of the Mafia in a points-shaving scandal during the 1978-79 season. He eats it up. It was like this whole new world opened up to him and his desire to succeed was unreal. The 1968 Topps Baseball Card series includes 598 cards and features multi-player rookie cards. But well come back to that later. Experience of 5 years in . . 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. They left, and that was that. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. In the 1998/99 season he lead the Girls to the top. 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. 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. I wanted my name cleared and it took a long time.. 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. 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. Ernest was born in Harlem, the first son of the . And I dont think it ever stayed with me.. Select the second team from the drop down menu. These people [in the mob] get glamorized or sensationalized, Sweeney said. He was like a big brother to my own son. My dad was still in my life, but something changed inside of me, 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. The vast expanses of grass fields allowed him to run free and clear his mind. 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. Jim Sweeney was not charged. I had a relentless type of game.. He ate, drank, and slept basketball. Profile. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston College's top scorer. He wanted to tell his side of the story. They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. Height: 5'11" (180 cm) Weight: 0 lbs (- kg) Position: PG. The tone is set by black-and-white mug shots and film strips from surveillance of mobsters interspersed with BC team photos and action shots from newspaper coverage of the season. He acknowledges taking $500, but says he never did anything to fix games. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. I understand that they want to disassociate themselves from the scandal. 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 want to be disassociated from it as well. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. From that point on, I wanted to become the best basketball player that I could possibly be.. The 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? It had to cost around $200,000 at the time to defend me.. I was a senior in high school when Ernie Cobb was a senior at Boston College and Id heard that he was a very good player, said Lemuel Mills, a Boston area hoops aficionado, coach, community mentor and historian. Im not angry at the school. We lived in dormitories. He had this unbelievable desire to succeed and you could tell that he wasnt going to let anything stand in his way.. The Globe would later admit that they were wrong in reporting that Bowie was involved, after he was not implicated nor investigated by the federal government for any role in the scandal. Joe Streater was not part of the Boston College point shaving scandal that was popularized this week by ESPN's latest 30 for 30, . Kuhn was a BC player at the center of the controversy. He loved the foliage, the fresh air and scenery. And he also cultivated interest, in the area's black community, in terms of being engaged and intrigued bywhat was going on with Boston Colleges basketball program. So Id go up there all the time and get me one. Near the Boston College campus, he had a flat tire. We were all so excited for him. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. Do you have a blog? I was this poor kid with no financial resources, going on trial with a member of the mob. He was a remarkable man. 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. Cobb and Sweeney admitted to accepting money, but both deny willingly participating while on the basketball court. 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? Height: 6-3. When he returned to the United States, he moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he became a Special Education teacher and high school basketball coach. I saw Ernie score 28 points against the Celtics in one of the final pre-season games when he was with the Nets, said Alswanger, Cobbs former high school coach. Dont get involved with organized crime people.. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. He was adamant, that he would take the stand in his own defense, despite his lawyers pleas not to do so. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. When he was implicated in the scandal, I was shocked.. 1050. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. Drafted #109 in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Jazz. 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