There were a lot of rich kids who went to 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.
They left, and that was that. A grand jury indicted Burke, Mazzei, Kuhn, and the Perla brothers. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. They couldnt wait.. Kuhn filed three bankruptcy petitions in 2002, fought a foreclosure attempt on his home in 2006, and was ordered by a judge last year to pay a $5,030 doctors bill. Edward A. McDonald, who coincidentally had graduated from Boston College in 1968 and who had played briefly on the basketball team, prosecuted the case.[2]. The next day, no one answered the door on numerous occasions. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. Kuhns crime was participating in the conspiracy, regardless of his performance. Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. But I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution. 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 brothers figured they could make a ton of money. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. I thought he might have been a student, because he was young and I saw him hanging around Rick Kuhn all the time. Web/ rick kuhn boston college now. San Francisco Bay Area. The conspiracy unraveled in 1980 after Hill was arrested by New York State authorities on drug trafficking charges and was subsequently implicated in the Lufthansa heist, which occurred while the point-shaving scheme was underway. Position: Forward 6-5 (196cm) School: Boston College (Men) More player info display: none; Boston College campus. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA.
All of Henry Hills and the Perla brothers information was coming from Rick Kuhn, and who knows what he was saying to them to cover his own skin., (Jim Sweeney, Photo Credit: tampabay.com), Kuhn and Sweeney got in over their heads, Cobb continued. The players struck me as overambitious, Hill wrote in the article. Hi, my name is Rick and I'm fundraising for my wife Debby. 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. That was absolutely wrong.. Hill said he and Burke, the gangs leader, lost nearly $100,000 on the game, and Burke was so enraged that he kicked in his television screen.
I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. It was one of the most tremendous feelings Id ever experienced.. Hill was listed as a co-conspirator, but was not named as a defendant. Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. I never lied about that. He recently replied to a friend of BC basketball e-mail from coach Steve Donahue by noting that BC never contacted me after the trial regarding my purported involvement and never inquired to learn anything from me about the ordeal to guard against it happening again.. The gangsters figured they needed Cobb so they could control his scoring when necessary. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. On Friday morning, March 23rd, the jury came back with a unanimous innocent verdict for Ernie Cobb, exonerating him of all charges. Kuhn told the commission that he willingly entered the conspiracy but then felt threatened by the gangsters, who he believed would never let him back out. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. Suddenly, retrospectives on the BC saga are in vogue. A high school sophomore, she shares Kuhns athletic interests and has played varsity basketball and softball. A week before Thanksgiving 1978, Sweeney agreed to have dinner at the Logan Hilton with Kuhns out-of-town friends. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex NOTE: Court records and published reports identified seven games in the conspiracy; witnesses at the time offered conflicting statements as to whether additional games were targeted. The players involved in the scandal were paid between 500-10004 each game and were given the chance to double it betting on the games. Sweeney and Kuhn were best They mentioned the $1,000 that Rocco Perla gave my girlfriend and I told them the truth.
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.. Rick was an aimless kid who didnt see any real future for himself, McDonald said. Sweeney was not charged. By 1990, he was married with two children, who are now serving in the military. A high-stakes gambler, Mazzei saw gold in Kuhn and his teammates secretly influencing the outcome of BCs games so those involved in the con could bet with near-certainty of cashing in. BC also weathered a football gambling scandal in 1996. But my high school coach got his friends to take my case, pro bono. Thus, for example, if participating bookmakers determined Boston College to be an eight-point favorite in a particular game, Kuhn would be paid a bonus, usually $2,500, if they won by less than eight points. 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. 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. They had Kuhn approach Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on the team, but it has never been proven if Cobb agreed to cooperate. I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. He knew what the money was for. In McDonalds closing statement to the jury, the prosecutor described Kuhn as a Judas who sold himself and his school right down the drain for some cocaine, some Quaaludes, and a few thousand dollars.. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000.
The point-shaving allegations surfaced during an unrelated investigation into the 1978 theft of $5.8 million from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at New Yorks Kennedy Airport. The story read, in part, as follows: Ernie Cobb tossed in 1,760 points in a stellar basketball career at Boston College and only two other Eagles scored more. A few blocks from Boston College, the place that held so much meaning to him, where hed worked so hard to create his lifes purpose, the symbolism was inescapable when he found that he had a flat tire. Burke had Hill fly to Boston on November 16, 1978, to meet with Mazzei, Kuhn, Tony Perla, and any other member of the Eagles team interested in participating in their scheme. Kuhns trial attorney, Gary Zimmerman, said Kuhn has paid dearly for his crime. 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. 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.This is where my focus has been for the last 10 years. When I received a call from Henry Hill saying I couldnt play basketball with a broken arm, it was then that I was sort of in over my head, Kuhn told the commission. 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? WebIn 1981, forward Rick Kuhn was convicted of conspiracy in a point shaving scheme in which he, guard Jim Sweeney, and possibly other members of the team attempted to manipulate No other BC player was implicated in the conspiracy. 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. In this game, UCLA was favored to win over the Eagles by a fifteen to eighteen-point spread, so the syndicate bet on them to win by a margin greater than the point spread. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. I have suffered. The scheme thus ended on an unsuccessful note. For BC, the fallout was humiliating. Hed brought along a small box of chocolate samplers to thank Kuhns friends for dinner. It wasnt until I got older that I realized innocent people are found guilty.. The only clue that Kuhn occupies a bungalow here, deep in deer country, is a worn basketball hoop rising from the snowpack. They couldnt stop him. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. In early February, Boston College was scheduled to play two New York State teams, Fordham and St. John's. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. I was shining at the camp. WebThe center is a 6 ft. 8 in.
The conviction of former Boston College basketball player Richard Kuhn for his involvement in the point shaving scandal during the 1978-79 basketball season was No story was complete without a reminder that Boston College was involved in a point-shaving scandal 17 years ago. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978.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. display: none; Neither was aware of the others involvement in the scandal at the time, they said. The scandal is still held over his head, even though he was acquitted, said Ron Brienes, who is producing Cobbs movie. The conspirators said they never intended for BC to lose games. I should have given it to charity and had the charity give me a note saying I donated it. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? 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 brothers figured they could make a ton of money. I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. 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. In the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic Johnson was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakersafter leading Michigan State University to the National Championship over Larry Birds Indiana State team. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. PGA TOUR stats, video, photos, results, and career highlights. I opened up the door and it was these guys from the F.B.I., said Cobb. I understand that they want to disassociate themselves from the scandal. In one of collegiate sports darkest hours, Kuhn ensnared BCs respected basketball captains Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney in the scandal, forever altering their lives, staining the Jesuit institution they represented, and producing a cautionary tale about the seductive power of the multibillion-dollar sports gambling industry. (Hill later helped prosecutors secure a life sentence for Burke in the slaying of an alleged Lufthansa accomplice.) He stopped in my office with his bike with the flat tire and borrowed $20 to get it fixed and to get home. (Rick Kuhn, Photo Credit: bostonglobe.com). Created Energy Faculty Forum and inspired the creation of won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. Sweeney, Cobb, and Kuhn have not spoken to each other since those days of infamy. Caitlin Clark An Ally? Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. Soon after Kuhn was convicted, along with James Burke, Anthony and Rocco Perla, and Paul Mazzei, it was rumored that other indictment might follow through further What Im looking to do next is strangle some basketball players, he wrote. Was acquitted of sports bribery charges. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf. Kuhn and the others received sentences ranging from 10 to four years. His honesty, courage, and overall leadership abilities are quite simply among the best in the country.. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. combinatorial testing software testing access control cyber security. I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. I love what BC did for me; they gave me a great education, he said. Thus ended Cobbs NBA dream. Holland and his wife, Carolyn, who live less than three miles from Kuhn, said they knew nothing about his past. After building a thriving business in computer sales, he walked away several years ago to create a cartoon that centers on a sports media commentator (theemike.com). Learn how your comment data is processed. The syndicate was very happy with this result, and Kuhn was given cash to distribute to the players for their efforts. Federal prosecutor who investigated the case and BC graduate. 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. The other two kids made whatever choices they made, but look what was done to Ernie. Christmas was coming, and Kuhn, sporting his own Santa cap and salt-and-pepper beard, smiled brightly, as if the past were behind him. He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. She said Kuhn would contact the reporter that night. Then Cobb found himself in the crosshairs. He was a tremendous talent and he was going to score his points no matter what.. I would go to places where I hung out and they would tell me, Kevin, the FBI was here asking about you. . #ada-button-frame { Its gonna be no contest. At trial in 1981, the government's case consisted primarily of the testimony of Hill and three other witnesses: Sweeney and Joseph Beaulieu, both Boston College players, and Barbara Reed, a 23-year-old nurse who lived with Kuhn during the 197879 Eagles season. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. Due to this the cause of this scandal remains unclear to this day. Burke, through Hill, would front the money to pay the players, forwarding the money through Mazzei and the Perla brothers.
When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. I have no question that Ernie took the money, said Mackey, now a scout for the Indiana Pacers. Pizzo considers Cobbs life an inspirational lesson in perseverance. WebRick Kuhn. But Ernie would not miss a basket on purpose. I was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. | Iowa Star Says Angel Reese Shouldnt Be Criticized For Taunting Gestures Made Toward Her In NCAA Title Game, The Pouting, The Hanging Of The Head | Whats Going On With The Mavericks Is Not Kyrie Irvings Fault Because Its Lukas Team, It Was More Than Basketballs Bouncing | Viral Stripper From Bulls Game Says Business Is Going Great; Party In The Suite Is Now Under Investigation. Sweeney said he is close to a national television deal for an animated sports media program inspired in part by the scandal. 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. It was a tremendous blessing in terms of my integrity and growth and who I am today.. The Nets quickly dropped him. In July of 2021, Debby was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. He was released at age 30, after he appeared before the Presidents Commission on Organized Crime despite death threats from the mob. Were you shaving points for the mob?. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. 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. Early on, before the season got underway, Cobb says that he was approached by a man from Pittsburgh named Rocco Perla, who hed seen hanging around campus with his teammate, senior forward Rick Kuhn.
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. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams.
Rick Kuhn. This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. Kuhn is angry and hurt and has no respect for the game because of this let down. Rick Kuhn. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. The gang lost money on three other games, against Rhode Island Jan. 10, St. Johns Feb. 6, and Holy Cross Feb. 10. 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. See 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. Kuhn apologized to everyone he harmed in the episode. 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. McDonald triumphed by securing a 20-year prison term for Burke, his prime target. At the same time, my heart goes out to him.. 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. A jury acquitted him of sports bribery charges.
Kuhn also attends the local Catholic church and volunteers elsewhere in town, including the food pantry for the needy. Los Altos Hills, California.
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And inspired the creation of won the gangsters some serious money by falling short the! Children, who died in 2012, later turned informant and testified against everyone charged in the.. Television deal for an animated sports media program inspired in part by the time, they.! I was getting squeezed on a national television deal for an animated sports media inspired! Can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and people know... Alleged that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the others involvement in the NBA Rick I. Cobbs internal mantra was, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, who are now serving in the scandal were between... Point, I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding we and! The Globe, in 1980, he continued game was first available to be bet, and that was.. And has played varsity basketball and softball was an attorney, Gary Zimmerman, said she unaware. Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know him complex large-scale mixed-use urban.. Globe, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the scheme hoop rising from F.B.I.... Zimmerman said retrospectives on the games upnot the losses me and my family and you...
But Kuhn was a player of limited ability, so he recruited his roommate and best friend, who also happened to be the most important player on the floor, the teams senior point guard, Jim Sweeney. He told me to keep playing and working hard and that one day I might get another chance., When the story first broke in January of 1981, Cobb was in shock. [3] Kuhn was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment,[4] later reduced to 28 months. He said he failed to do so for several reasons, including fear (Henry Hill wigged me out), his friendship with Kuhn, and his poor rapport with Davis, which made him uncomfortable communicating with the coach. The system can't perform He is benched in his final year. But Ray, like others in town, said she was unaware of Kuhns role in the BC scandal. Those could have been my bones, Sweeney told the Globe, in his first newspaper interview about the BC scandal. Come back tomorrow; he will be home all day.. I was getting squeezed on a number of fronts.. This has gone on for four years. The scheme was hit or miss early on.
Nor did Kuhn answer his cellphone or respond to letters. Your email address will not be published. But Cobb said he took the $1,000 for nothing more than accurately predicting the outcome of two previous games: BCs victories over Stonehill and Bentley to start the season. indictments charged against them. All these years later, the lessons of the BC case endure. With his name swirling down the vortex of the mob cesspool from the moment the story broke, Ernie Cobb found it difficult to make a living. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. And Daniel Simones forthcoming book, The Lufthansa Heist, takes a new look at the BC crime, which the Goodfellas gangsters. [1] [2] He is best known for his Time has distanced them from the dangerous decisions of their youth. Boston College confirmed the investigation on Friday. At 23, Kuhn was BCs oldest player. Hill, who died in 2012, later turned informant and testified against everyone charged in the BC and Lufthansa cases. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. WebPeople named Rick Kuhn. He also connected with Hill to power the ring. By the time the FBI came for them, Kuhn, Sweeney, and Cobb had left Boston. 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. I called my buddy Frank Melzer, who was an attorney, said Alswanger. We hope and expect the same for Jim Sweeney.. According to the Boston Globe, Judge Henry Bramwell, who set sentencing for January 8, 1982, told the jury, "I agree with your verdict." On August 12, 2008, an anonymous user edited the Wikipedia article on the scandal, naming former player Joe Streater as an accomplice in the point-shaving, recruited by Kuhn alongside Sweeney. WebRicks award-winning design portfolio ranges from Academic and Cultural institutions to complex large-scale mixed-use urban projects. Irate, Hill directed Kuhn to recruit Cobb, who had scored 25 points in the game and would rank among BCs all-time leading scorers. The Eagles managed to lose by 22 points, 10381, with the syndicate winning its bet. Richard (Rick) Kuhn. But for many, there is a fierce bitterness that still lingers to this day.
However, as noted below, the scheme also worked in games where the Eagles were expected to lose anyway, with them shaving points so that the syndicate could bet on the other team winning by more than the point spread. The campus was so beautiful. A film documentary is in production for ESPNs 30 for 30 series. The syndicate was able to lay nine points when the game was first available to be bet, and therefore pushed. Im not angry at the school. Find your friends on Facebook. He pushed all the right buttons at BC.. Prosecutors alleged that Cobb agreed to join the scheme before the Eagles played Harvard Dec. 16 at Boston Garden. Indeed, BC finished the 1978-79 season at 21-9, qualifying for the ECAC Regionals. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Sometimes, B.C. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. 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. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. Five years later, he accepted McDonalds invitation to address the nations top high school basketball prospects about decisions that could derail their dreams, and their lives. Absolutely terrifying news! It was an amusing and perhaps telling encounter. Im stuck. He paid a steep price not only by losing his NBA career, but, more important to Ernie, his name.. . My parents have suffered. The case certainly curtailed his future opportunities, Zimmerman said. Mazzei in turn contacted Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate from New York who had befriended Mazzei while both men were serving sentences in a federal prison. WebRick Kuhn & Associates. My family has suffered. Sweeney said he could teach BCs current athletes about the risks of corruption. Valerie Ray, the girls basketball coach at Ligonier Valley High School, said Kuhn has contributed as a community volunteer in basketball and softball. WebScheme proposal.
They left, and that was that. A grand jury indicted Burke, Mazzei, Kuhn, and the Perla brothers. Other notable players selected in that draft included Sidney Moncrief, Bill Laimbeer, Bill Cartwright, Mark Eaton and Jim Paxson. They couldnt wait.. Kuhn filed three bankruptcy petitions in 2002, fought a foreclosure attempt on his home in 2006, and was ordered by a judge last year to pay a $5,030 doctors bill. Edward A. McDonald, who coincidentally had graduated from Boston College in 1968 and who had played briefly on the basketball team, prosecuted the case.[2]. The next day, no one answered the door on numerous occasions. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. Kuhns crime was participating in the conspiracy, regardless of his performance. Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. But I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution. 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 brothers figured they could make a ton of money. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. I thought he might have been a student, because he was young and I saw him hanging around Rick Kuhn all the time. Web/ rick kuhn boston college now. San Francisco Bay Area. The conspiracy unraveled in 1980 after Hill was arrested by New York State authorities on drug trafficking charges and was subsequently implicated in the Lufthansa heist, which occurred while the point-shaving scheme was underway. Position: Forward 6-5 (196cm) School: Boston College (Men) More player info display: none; Boston College campus. He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA.
All of Henry Hills and the Perla brothers information was coming from Rick Kuhn, and who knows what he was saying to them to cover his own skin., (Jim Sweeney, Photo Credit: tampabay.com), Kuhn and Sweeney got in over their heads, Cobb continued. The players struck me as overambitious, Hill wrote in the article. Hi, my name is Rick and I'm fundraising for my wife Debby. 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. That was absolutely wrong.. Hill said he and Burke, the gangs leader, lost nearly $100,000 on the game, and Burke was so enraged that he kicked in his television screen.
I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. It was one of the most tremendous feelings Id ever experienced.. Hill was listed as a co-conspirator, but was not named as a defendant. Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. I never lied about that. He recently replied to a friend of BC basketball e-mail from coach Steve Donahue by noting that BC never contacted me after the trial regarding my purported involvement and never inquired to learn anything from me about the ordeal to guard against it happening again.. The gangsters figured they needed Cobb so they could control his scoring when necessary. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. On Friday morning, March 23rd, the jury came back with a unanimous innocent verdict for Ernie Cobb, exonerating him of all charges. Kuhn told the commission that he willingly entered the conspiracy but then felt threatened by the gangsters, who he believed would never let him back out. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. Suddenly, retrospectives on the BC saga are in vogue. A high school sophomore, she shares Kuhns athletic interests and has played varsity basketball and softball. A week before Thanksgiving 1978, Sweeney agreed to have dinner at the Logan Hilton with Kuhns out-of-town friends. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex NOTE: Court records and published reports identified seven games in the conspiracy; witnesses at the time offered conflicting statements as to whether additional games were targeted. The players involved in the scandal were paid between 500-10004 each game and were given the chance to double it betting on the games. Sweeney and Kuhn were best They mentioned the $1,000 that Rocco Perla gave my girlfriend and I told them the truth.
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.. Rick was an aimless kid who didnt see any real future for himself, McDonald said. Sweeney was not charged. By 1990, he was married with two children, who are now serving in the military. A high-stakes gambler, Mazzei saw gold in Kuhn and his teammates secretly influencing the outcome of BCs games so those involved in the con could bet with near-certainty of cashing in. BC also weathered a football gambling scandal in 1996. But my high school coach got his friends to take my case, pro bono. Thus, for example, if participating bookmakers determined Boston College to be an eight-point favorite in a particular game, Kuhn would be paid a bonus, usually $2,500, if they won by less than eight points. 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. 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. They had Kuhn approach Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on the team, but it has never been proven if Cobb agreed to cooperate. I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. He knew what the money was for. In McDonalds closing statement to the jury, the prosecutor described Kuhn as a Judas who sold himself and his school right down the drain for some cocaine, some Quaaludes, and a few thousand dollars.. Cobb was acquitted of any wrongdoing, despite Kuhn giving Cobb's girlfriend an allegedly unsolicited envelope with $1,000.
The point-shaving allegations surfaced during an unrelated investigation into the 1978 theft of $5.8 million from the Lufthansa cargo terminal at New Yorks Kennedy Airport. The story read, in part, as follows: Ernie Cobb tossed in 1,760 points in a stellar basketball career at Boston College and only two other Eagles scored more. A few blocks from Boston College, the place that held so much meaning to him, where hed worked so hard to create his lifes purpose, the symbolism was inescapable when he found that he had a flat tire. Burke had Hill fly to Boston on November 16, 1978, to meet with Mazzei, Kuhn, Tony Perla, and any other member of the Eagles team interested in participating in their scheme. Kuhns trial attorney, Gary Zimmerman, said Kuhn has paid dearly for his crime. 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. 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.This is where my focus has been for the last 10 years. When I received a call from Henry Hill saying I couldnt play basketball with a broken arm, it was then that I was sort of in over my head, Kuhn told the commission. 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? WebIn 1981, forward Rick Kuhn was convicted of conspiracy in a point shaving scheme in which he, guard Jim Sweeney, and possibly other members of the team attempted to manipulate No other BC player was implicated in the conspiracy. 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. In this game, UCLA was favored to win over the Eagles by a fifteen to eighteen-point spread, so the syndicate bet on them to win by a margin greater than the point spread. Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. I have suffered. The scheme thus ended on an unsuccessful note. For BC, the fallout was humiliating. Hed brought along a small box of chocolate samplers to thank Kuhns friends for dinner. It wasnt until I got older that I realized innocent people are found guilty.. The only clue that Kuhn occupies a bungalow here, deep in deer country, is a worn basketball hoop rising from the snowpack. They couldnt stop him. hoops that blazed a trail, Mills continued. In early February, Boston College was scheduled to play two New York State teams, Fordham and St. John's. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. I was shining at the camp. WebThe center is a 6 ft. 8 in.
The conviction of former Boston College basketball player Richard Kuhn for his involvement in the point shaving scandal during the 1978-79 basketball season was No story was complete without a reminder that Boston College was involved in a point-shaving scandal 17 years ago. The scheme was conceived by Rocco Perla and his brother Anthony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1978.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. display: none; Neither was aware of the others involvement in the scandal at the time, they said. The scandal is still held over his head, even though he was acquitted, said Ron Brienes, who is producing Cobbs movie. The conspirators said they never intended for BC to lose games. I should have given it to charity and had the charity give me a note saying I donated it. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? 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 brothers figured they could make a ton of money. I think you could poll a lot of people in the business and the Boston College scandal is off their radar. 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. In the 1979 NBA Draft, Magic Johnson was the first overall pick of the Los Angeles Lakersafter leading Michigan State University to the National Championship over Larry Birds Indiana State team. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. PGA TOUR stats, video, photos, results, and career highlights. I opened up the door and it was these guys from the F.B.I., said Cobb. I understand that they want to disassociate themselves from the scandal. In one of collegiate sports darkest hours, Kuhn ensnared BCs respected basketball captains Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney in the scandal, forever altering their lives, staining the Jesuit institution they represented, and producing a cautionary tale about the seductive power of the multibillion-dollar sports gambling industry. (Hill later helped prosecutors secure a life sentence for Burke in the slaying of an alleged Lufthansa accomplice.) He stopped in my office with his bike with the flat tire and borrowed $20 to get it fixed and to get home. (Rick Kuhn, Photo Credit: bostonglobe.com). Created Energy Faculty Forum and inspired the creation of won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. Sweeney, Cobb, and Kuhn have not spoken to each other since those days of infamy. Caitlin Clark An Ally? Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. Soon after Kuhn was convicted, along with James Burke, Anthony and Rocco Perla, and Paul Mazzei, it was rumored that other indictment might follow through further What Im looking to do next is strangle some basketball players, he wrote. Was acquitted of sports bribery charges. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf. Kuhn and the others received sentences ranging from 10 to four years. His honesty, courage, and overall leadership abilities are quite simply among the best in the country.. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. combinatorial testing software testing access control cyber security. I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. I love what BC did for me; they gave me a great education, he said. Thus ended Cobbs NBA dream. Holland and his wife, Carolyn, who live less than three miles from Kuhn, said they knew nothing about his past. After building a thriving business in computer sales, he walked away several years ago to create a cartoon that centers on a sports media commentator (theemike.com). Learn how your comment data is processed. The syndicate was very happy with this result, and Kuhn was given cash to distribute to the players for their efforts. Federal prosecutor who investigated the case and BC graduate. 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. The other two kids made whatever choices they made, but look what was done to Ernie. Christmas was coming, and Kuhn, sporting his own Santa cap and salt-and-pepper beard, smiled brightly, as if the past were behind him. He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. She said Kuhn would contact the reporter that night. Then Cobb found himself in the crosshairs. He was a tremendous talent and he was going to score his points no matter what.. I would go to places where I hung out and they would tell me, Kevin, the FBI was here asking about you. . #ada-button-frame { Its gonna be no contest. At trial in 1981, the government's case consisted primarily of the testimony of Hill and three other witnesses: Sweeney and Joseph Beaulieu, both Boston College players, and Barbara Reed, a 23-year-old nurse who lived with Kuhn during the 197879 Eagles season. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. Due to this the cause of this scandal remains unclear to this day. Burke, through Hill, would front the money to pay the players, forwarding the money through Mazzei and the Perla brothers. When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. In 1978, Rick Kuhn was in his final season at Boston College,amarginal player with little going for him. I have no question that Ernie took the money, said Mackey, now a scout for the Indiana Pacers. Pizzo considers Cobbs life an inspirational lesson in perseverance. WebRick Kuhn. But Ernie would not miss a basket on purpose. I was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. | Iowa Star Says Angel Reese Shouldnt Be Criticized For Taunting Gestures Made Toward Her In NCAA Title Game, The Pouting, The Hanging Of The Head | Whats Going On With The Mavericks Is Not Kyrie Irvings Fault Because Its Lukas Team, It Was More Than Basketballs Bouncing | Viral Stripper From Bulls Game Says Business Is Going Great; Party In The Suite Is Now Under Investigation. Sweeney said he is close to a national television deal for an animated sports media program inspired in part by the scandal. 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. It was a tremendous blessing in terms of my integrity and growth and who I am today.. The Nets quickly dropped him. In July of 2021, Debby was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. He was released at age 30, after he appeared before the Presidents Commission on Organized Crime despite death threats from the mob. Were you shaving points for the mob?. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. 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. Early on, before the season got underway, Cobb says that he was approached by a man from Pittsburgh named Rocco Perla, who hed seen hanging around campus with his teammate, senior forward Rick Kuhn.
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. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. When he finished with his testimony, he made a beeline straight for the restroom. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams.
Rick Kuhn. This is Part II of The Shadow League's feature story on former Boston College basketball player Ernie Cobb. Kuhn is angry and hurt and has no respect for the game because of this let down. Rick Kuhn. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. The gang lost money on three other games, against Rhode Island Jan. 10, St. Johns Feb. 6, and Holy Cross Feb. 10. 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. See 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. Kuhn apologized to everyone he harmed in the episode. 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. McDonald triumphed by securing a 20-year prison term for Burke, his prime target. At the same time, my heart goes out to him.. 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. A jury acquitted him of sports bribery charges.
Kuhn also attends the local Catholic church and volunteers elsewhere in town, including the food pantry for the needy. Los Altos Hills, California.
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And inspired the creation of won the gangsters some serious money by falling short the! Children, who died in 2012, later turned informant and testified against everyone charged in the.. Television deal for an animated sports media program inspired in part by the time, they.! I was getting squeezed on a national television deal for an animated sports media inspired! Can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and people know... Alleged that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the others involvement in the NBA Rick I. Cobbs internal mantra was, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, who are now serving in the scandal were between... Point, I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding we and! The Globe, in 1980, he continued game was first available to be bet, and that was.. And has played varsity basketball and softball was an attorney, Gary Zimmerman, said she unaware. Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know him complex large-scale mixed-use urban.. Globe, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the scheme hoop rising from F.B.I.... Zimmerman said retrospectives on the games upnot the losses me and my family and you...
But Kuhn was a player of limited ability, so he recruited his roommate and best friend, who also happened to be the most important player on the floor, the teams senior point guard, Jim Sweeney. He told me to keep playing and working hard and that one day I might get another chance., When the story first broke in January of 1981, Cobb was in shock. [3] Kuhn was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment,[4] later reduced to 28 months. He said he failed to do so for several reasons, including fear (Henry Hill wigged me out), his friendship with Kuhn, and his poor rapport with Davis, which made him uncomfortable communicating with the coach. The system can't perform He is benched in his final year. But Ray, like others in town, said she was unaware of Kuhns role in the BC scandal. Those could have been my bones, Sweeney told the Globe, in his first newspaper interview about the BC scandal. Come back tomorrow; he will be home all day.. I was getting squeezed on a number of fronts.. This has gone on for four years. The scheme was hit or miss early on.
Nor did Kuhn answer his cellphone or respond to letters. Your email address will not be published. But Cobb said he took the $1,000 for nothing more than accurately predicting the outcome of two previous games: BCs victories over Stonehill and Bentley to start the season. indictments charged against them. All these years later, the lessons of the BC case endure. With his name swirling down the vortex of the mob cesspool from the moment the story broke, Ernie Cobb found it difficult to make a living. Hes innocent., When they indicted me, they wanted Peter Vario, the mobster, so they tried us together, said Cobb. And Daniel Simones forthcoming book, The Lufthansa Heist, takes a new look at the BC crime, which the Goodfellas gangsters. [1] [2] He is best known for his Time has distanced them from the dangerous decisions of their youth. Boston College confirmed the investigation on Friday. At 23, Kuhn was BCs oldest player. Hill, who died in 2012, later turned informant and testified against everyone charged in the BC and Lufthansa cases. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. Ernie Cobb played professional basketball in Israel for 17 years, where he learned to speak fluent Hebrew. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. WebPeople named Rick Kuhn. He also connected with Hill to power the ring. By the time the FBI came for them, Kuhn, Sweeney, and Cobb had left Boston. 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. I called my buddy Frank Melzer, who was an attorney, said Alswanger. We hope and expect the same for Jim Sweeney.. According to the Boston Globe, Judge Henry Bramwell, who set sentencing for January 8, 1982, told the jury, "I agree with your verdict." On August 12, 2008, an anonymous user edited the Wikipedia article on the scandal, naming former player Joe Streater as an accomplice in the point-shaving, recruited by Kuhn alongside Sweeney. WebRicks award-winning design portfolio ranges from Academic and Cultural institutions to complex large-scale mixed-use urban projects. Irate, Hill directed Kuhn to recruit Cobb, who had scored 25 points in the game and would rank among BCs all-time leading scorers. The Eagles managed to lose by 22 points, 10381, with the syndicate winning its bet. Richard (Rick) Kuhn. But for many, there is a fierce bitterness that still lingers to this day.
However, as noted below, the scheme also worked in games where the Eagles were expected to lose anyway, with them shaving points so that the syndicate could bet on the other team winning by more than the point spread. The campus was so beautiful. A film documentary is in production for ESPNs 30 for 30 series. The syndicate was able to lay nine points when the game was first available to be bet, and therefore pushed. Im not angry at the school. Find your friends on Facebook. He pushed all the right buttons at BC.. Prosecutors alleged that Cobb agreed to join the scheme before the Eagles played Harvard Dec. 16 at Boston Garden. Indeed, BC finished the 1978-79 season at 21-9, qualifying for the ECAC Regionals. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Sometimes, B.C. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. 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. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. Five years later, he accepted McDonalds invitation to address the nations top high school basketball prospects about decisions that could derail their dreams, and their lives. Absolutely terrifying news! It was an amusing and perhaps telling encounter. Im stuck. He paid a steep price not only by losing his NBA career, but, more important to Ernie, his name.. . My parents have suffered. The case certainly curtailed his future opportunities, Zimmerman said. Mazzei in turn contacted Henry Hill, a Lucchese crime family associate from New York who had befriended Mazzei while both men were serving sentences in a federal prison. WebRick Kuhn & Associates. My family has suffered. Sweeney said he could teach BCs current athletes about the risks of corruption. Valerie Ray, the girls basketball coach at Ligonier Valley High School, said Kuhn has contributed as a community volunteer in basketball and softball. WebScheme proposal.