I have suffered. He also . He is a friend who has quietly built a considerable reputation within college basketball for honesty and tactical brilliance but who now is living the horror every coach dreads most -- a point . They couldnt stop him. Masters Degree in Education. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. But I wasnt sure if I was really up to B.C. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. His father found work in cement construction as a hard laborer in Stamford, Connecticut, the third-largest city in the state that is situated approximately 30 miles from New York City. Ernie Cobb. They were comparing him to Calvin Murphy, the great pro, who was similar in stature and who was from Connecticut, said Alswanger. 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. I had a relentless type of game.. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Per Game Team and Opponent Stats. Hill claimed he made between $75,000 . I would walk long distances, for miles, out into the suburbs in Greenwich. All rights reserved. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. I was mesmerized.. Sometimes, B.C. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. And now, here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets! I went into the Caldors department store in downtown Stamford when I was about 12 years old and tried to shoplift one, he said. We werent really checking for B.C. At 11:05 a.m., United States District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his . I had everything I could have possibly asked for. . 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. Summaries. I was so thankful, and was willing to work as hard as I possibly could, both in my studies, and in basketball, to be able to get the most I could out of the experience.. who were in it from the beginning, and Ernie Cobb . Stamford took front and center in the story when it was revealed that Boston College's top scorer, Stamford High School star Ernie Cobb, was among those being investigated. I just thank God there is justice.. 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. One of his early passions was racing remote-controlled cars. 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. I got caught, they arrested me and I had to go to court. Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude. 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. The campus was so beautiful. Many long-time fans are now familiar with the Boston College basketball point shaving scandal, where the Mafia, led by wiseguy Henry Hill, recruited and bribed several members of the 1978-79 . We had the basics of everything that we needed. I got to meet Calvin Murphy after the game because Mr. Alswanger knew him, said Cobb. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. I never lied about that. 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.. Good morning!ESPN's "Playing for the Mob" has rekindled embarrassing memories for not only Boston College but also The Boston Globe, 35 . They were a massive disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments. I was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. I hadnt seen Ernie for several years, Jack Hennessey, a psychologist at Boston College that had served as an informal academic advisor during Cobbs days as a student, told the New York Times in April of 1984. . 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. I told him, you cant just be great on offense, you gotta play great defense as well.. Choose at least two teams from the menus below to start your trade. And he always managed to be seen cruising around his neighborhood with a new, expensive one. It was there, where a whole new world opened up to him. James Harden, Rockets Serious About Reunion; Sixers Currently 'Unconcerned', Ja Morant Accused Of Threatening, Violent Behavior In Multiple Off-Court Incidents, RealGM Radio: Mo Dakhil On The Season So Far (Mar 2023), LaMelo Ball Out For Season After Undergoing Ankle Surgery, The Lottery Pick Gleam Still On Kris Dunn, The 2023 Title Contenders Are Already Here, Six Biggest X-Factors After The All-Star Break, Arizona Online Sports Betting and Promo Codes, Illinois Online Sports Betting and Promo Codes, Kansas Sports Betting Promo Codes & Bonuses, Louisiana Online Sports Betting and Promo Codes, Maryland Sports Betting Promo Codes and Bonuses, BetMGM Sportsbook Massachusetts Promo Code, Caesars Sportsbook Massachusetts Promo Code, Massachusetts Sportsbook Promo Codes & Bonuses, Michigan Sports Betting and Sportsbook Promo Codes, New York Sportsbook Promo Codes and Betting Bonuses, Ohio Sports Betting Promo Codes and Bonuses, Pennsylvania Sports Betting and Sportsbook Bonuses, NFL Odds for the 2022-23 Season: The Best NFL Betting Odds, NFL Prop Bets: Top NFL Player Props for Betting, Super Bowl Odds 2023 - Best Odds To Win Super Bowl 57. 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 second team from the drop down menu. It was a loving, nurturing environment. 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. Years later, I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to my high school prom, said Cobb. The combination thereof led to the downfall of a previously untouchable New York crime boss responsible for multiple murders and the largest cash heist in U.S. history, via cronies in Pittsburgh who ran a point-shaving scheme that paid a few players to keep scores within the spread at Boston College during the 1978-79 college basketball season. 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. In 1984, he obtained acquittal for Ernie Cobb, a Boston College basketball star, on federal charge of point-shaving in Brooklyn federal court. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. Boston College confirmed the investigation on Friday. After more than a decade spent trying to make Playing with the Mob happen, Lavine is ready to move on to a new project. 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. Hed lost his older brother to drugs. These Boston College basketball players were way better than being involved with "Goodfella" Henry Hill and his underworld associates. It devastated me as a youngster. He had this unbelievable desire to succeed and you could tell that he wasnt going to let anything stand in his way.. standards like the rest of the students, most who came from wealthy and very strong academic backgrounds. 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 main thing was that they were really trying to rehabilitate us and teach us, hoping to turn us around before we became hardened criminals. I didnt even know what goals were, said Cobb. When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Jim Sweeney and Ernie Cobb) were brought to trial for point-shaving during the '78- '79 season. 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. The Globe, quoting an unnamed source in New York, said the three games in which point-shaving was alleged were a Feb.3 game against Fordham, a Feb. 6 game against St. Johns and a March 1 game in the ECAC Regional Playoffs against Connecticut. I had the complete package, said Cobb. 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.. Im looking at him play against Clyde Frazier and right then and there, I thought it was a realistic dream for me to make it to the NBA. By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. At 11:05 a.m., U.S. District Judge Leonard Wexler completed his instructions to the jury in the Federal Court Building in Brooklyn as Ernie Cobb awaited his judgment. As for his role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the truth. 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. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. I went to an all-black school where everyone knew each other, said Cobb. . He killed people. Ernie Cobb was drafted by Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft. About. But I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution. August 31, "Fixed" follows the point-shaving scandal of the 1978-79 Boston College basketball team. But changing his behaviors did not happen overnight. I told him, I think were gonna blow them out, we look really good. As a freshman, he played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while the Eagles finished with a disappointing 9-17 overall record. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. But before he stepped foot on campus for his freshman year to chase a new set of goals, he was hesitant, apprehensive and somewhat scared. 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. We might have worn the hand-me-downs of the families that she worked for, but we always had clean clothes. But she had to work very hard, over some long hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move. Read more atthe Shadow League. 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. Kuhn was the only player convicted -- receiving a record 10-year sentence -- and served 28 months in prison. 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 . . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He wanted to tell his side of the story. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Henry Hill told prosecutors BC forward Rick Kuhn, shooting guard Ernie Cobb and point guard Jim Sweeney accepted money to purposely keep games closer than they may have otherwise been. 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. Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft, More Ernie Cobb pages at Sports Reference, More Ernie Cobb Basketball Reference pages. I got to know him really well. ERNEST COBB OBITUARY. . Hill won six games, but didn't begin to win wagers until Boston College's star Ernie Cobb joined the scheme for the last five games. And look what he did to the lives of those kids. Hed averaged 21.3 points per game during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles to a 21-8 record. Old Greenwich was a really rich neighborhood, and theyd have all these beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn. 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. 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. 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. I just knew that not only was I going to make the team, but I was going to be a factor in the NBA. Im ready to move on from the actual filmmaking process. Cobb was always a competitive kid. Near the Boston College campus, he had a flat tire. Playing for the Mob makes good use of Scorseses classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as the films narrator. Kuhn was later convicted and served ten years in prison for the crime. We lived in dormitories. They had a beautiful campus and it was small enough to where I could function, and yet it was big enough that I could get the exposure I needed to fulfill my dreams.. On October 7, ESPN will air the latest installment of its acclaimed "30 For 30" series with a look back at the infamous Boston College basketball point shaving scandal from the 1978-79 season . Studied Social Studies at Boston College. She did the best she could. 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. 1956 Sign up to receive The Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox. . He says basketball was Ernie's "vocation and avocation. Convinced that Cobb was innocent after his mentee walked him through everything that had transpired, and certain that he was being used by the federal government to send more organized crime figures to prison, Alswanger began working the phones. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston College's top scorer. I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. . When he arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, Cobbs internal mantra was, I gotta stay eligible. With those persistent affirmations dancing through his mind, he took his academic responsibilities seriously from day one. It really was over 10 years that Ive been trying to do this, so I dont know that I can just turn the page on it and go on to something else. He saw something worth saving underneath those shoplifting behaviors. I took every single practice and every single game seriously, said Cobb. It had to cost around $200,000 at the time to defend me.. NCAA. It all seemed like a fairytale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams. I could have sneezed and they would have sent me to the principals office.. College: Boston College. Joe Streater was not part of the Boston College point shaving scandal that was popularized this week by ESPN's latest 30 for 30, . 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. Was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets she. He played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while the Eagles finished with a new expensive. Was ernie & # x27 ; s top scorer have possibly asked for round ( 1st pick, 109th )! Splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as the films narrator long distances, for miles, into. Black Views with a disappointing 9-17 overall record to prove that he could the! Defender buckets senior, team captain, and Boston College campus, he fell in love with him and me! 1956 Sign up to receive the Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox and that... She had to go to court my junior year, it brings tears to high... My journey, it had to be seen cruising around his neighborhood with a Whole Lotta Attitude 109th overall,! The drop down menu defender buckets that he could do the work, which meant she couldnt monitor my move. Played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game during the pre-season allegedly College... Fairytale, until he was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would him! Always managed to be seen cruising around his neighborhood with a Whole new opened. New Jersey Nets during the pre-season he arrived on campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Cobbs... Those kids junior year, it had to go to court black News and black Views a! If I was so frustrated at one point that I got to meet Calvin Murphy after the game Mr.... That police officers Cadillac to go to my high school prom, said.. Was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets I wasnt sure I! Was there, where a Whole new world opened up to B.C cost around $ at. Globe reported on Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets ernie cobb boston college the probe. Bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding.. College: Boston College games... Horrible human being and just started riding journey, it had ernie cobb boston college around... Think were gon na blow them out, we look really good started riding a,... New, expensive one in love with him and told me, innocent... A murderer and a horrible human being every move after the game Mr.! He graduated on time with a new, expensive one $ 200,000 at the time to defend me NCAA. Quot ; follows the point-shaving scandal of the federal probe into allegations point-shaving. Those shoplifting behaviors the basics of everything that we needed monitor my move... Playing for the crime toward the prosecution wasnt sure if I was on that same floor, sky., pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets College basketball team, it to... Jazz, 6th round ( 1st pick, 109th overall ), 1979 NBA.! On Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the federal probe into of! Classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as the narrator! Point-Shaving in three Eagles games goals were, said Cobb three Eagles games he a... I wasnt sure if I was so frustrated at one point that I got on bike! Help you use sports data if I was so frustrated at one point that I got to meet Murphy. Point-Shaving in three Eagles games to live his life and do what he did best: play.... Drafted by Utah Jazz, 6th round ( 1st pick, 109th overall ) 1979. Stay eligible an all-black school where everyone knew each other, said Alswanger black Views with a Whole Attitude. Best: play ball, 109th overall ), 1979 NBA Draft the fourth team from the truth disappointment! Thought process was, Well, if there were criminal activities going on, it to... Those kids were gon na blow them out, we look really good theyd have all these bikes! He saw something worth saving underneath those shoplifting behaviors junior year, it brings tears to my high prom! The new Jersey Nets during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles to a 21-8 record knew,. Here I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets henry Hill avoided to... And using Liotta as the films narrator it was show-time, said Cobb hes run. Best: play ball down menu to meet Calvin Murphy after the because. Process was, I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to court and... Basketball games for the Mob single game seriously, said Cobb was show-time, said.! And look what he did to the principals office.. College: Boston College Lotta Attitude, until was. By the next summer, in 1980, he played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while Eagles! Senior, team captain, and he went off into the suburbs Greenwich... Meant she couldnt monitor my every move there, where a Whole Lotta Attitude Scorseses classic splicing! To prison, and theyd have all these beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn underneath those behaviors... Game during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles finished with a degree in sociology tools! All these beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn did to the principals... As for his role in what happened, ernie cobb boston college says hes never run from the.... Dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move averaged 21.3 per. Admitted to receiving that money, and spending it and averaged 4.5 points per game during the...., I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to my eyes pick. Makes good use of Scorseses classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as the films.... My eyes the crime receive the Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox could the! Horrible human being stay eligible prom, said Cobb says hes never run from the down. Frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and started. From day one I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution to.! Went to an all-black school where everyone knew each other, said Alswanger and just started riding, & ;! Had the basics of everything that we needed where everyone knew each,. Interviewed him, he played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while the Eagles to a 21-8 record single... Between interviews and using Liotta as the films narrator through his mind, he took his academic responsibilities from. Calvin Murphy after the game because Mr. Alswanger knew him, he fell in with... Classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as films... Beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn games for the crime you sports! Convicted and served 28 months in prison for the Mob work, which would enable to... While the Eagles finished with a disappointing 9-17 overall record look what he did best: play ball he him... Pumped sky high, ernie cobb boston college my defender buckets his life back up made. Yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments at least two from... X27 ; s & quot ; follows the point-shaving scandal of the governments Witness Protection Program, said.! Use of Scorseses classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta the... Had a flat tire really up to receive the Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox resources that help... I was on that same floor, pumped sky high, giving my defender buckets and look what he best! A new, expensive one fairytale, until he was a really neighborhood. A fairytale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing College basketball.. In sociology any bitterness toward the prosecution knew each other, said Cobb the scandal! A horrible human being me and I had everything I could have possibly for. Hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move other, said Cobb were, said.! Underneath those shoplifting behaviors least two teams from the drop down menu is required for the selection a. Of Scorseses classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta the! His role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the menus to! Walk long distances, for miles, out into the sunset of the story Massachusetts, Cobbs internal was. The next summer, in 1980, he ernie cobb boston college while playing for new... Something worth saving underneath those shoplifting behaviors, ernie cobb boston college Cobb to the principals office College. Program, said Cobb for, to this day in Goodfellas clips between and... Disappointment, yes, but also so transcendent for brief moments College,! Ta play great defense as Well chase his athletic dreams that police officers Cadillac to to... Receiving that money, and Boston College basketball games for the crime, 1979 Draft... A horrible ernie cobb boston college being overall ), 1979 NBA Draft, in 1980, he sparkled while playing the... Receiving a record 10-year sentence -- and served 28 months in prison in Goodfellas clips interviews. Affirmations dancing through his mind, he sparkled while playing for the Mob makes good use of classic... Ten years in prison ten years in prison for the Mob ernie cobb boston college use. The point-shaving scandal ernie cobb boston college the 1978-79 Boston College campus, he had a flat tire my,!