ernie cobb boston college
But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. Did Uncle Neely Forget Which Side He Plays For? I called my buddy Frank Melzer, who was an attorney, said Alswanger. These Boston College basketball players were way better than being involved with "Goodfella" Henry Hill and his underworld associates. 11. Experience for 11 years as a high school mathematics teacher. In a point-shaving scandal that sticks in the memories of many, three Boston College players became embroiled in a betting scheme conceived by gamblers Henry Hill, Rocco and Tony Perla, and Paul Mazzei. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. He recently earned his Masters Degree in Education and is currently considering pursuing a Ph.D. I feel like Ive led a remarkable life, he said. I dominated all those guys on the playground and they laughed at me when I got cut. He said, Ernies the only kid who listened, did everything he was supposed to do and never tried to run away. Quiz clue: Category (S = Singles, D = Doubles, T = Triples, HR = Home runs) / Hits . She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. We had the basics of everything that we needed. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. When he first stepped on the hallowed parquet floor at the legendary Boston Garden, where B.C. Location unknown)Boston College's Ernie Cobb pulls down a rebound off his own shot against Holy Cross's Leo Kane during a men's college basketball. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 8:19PM. Duality underpins practically everything about the brief existence of the KD, Harden and Kyrie Nets. You cant change things in life. . I was focused in the moment. 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. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. I went into that same Caldors and got arrested again for stealing one.. Obviously, I couldve done things differently, Sweeney said. The very next day, the Nets cut me., When the F.B.I. I was back at home, visiting for the summer and about to return to Israel, Cobb said. don't know about ernie but i know rick. But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. They were so many activities and all this food. Experience of 5 years in . 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. He wanted to tell his side of the story. The Shadow League is a narrative company. The Draft Review (with Matthew Maurer) brings you a wealth of NBA draft history through its free resource of extensive statistics, biographies, articles, interviews and this live forum. College: Boston University (1979) NCAA Season Stats - Per Game. 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. We spoke to everybody, whether they ended up in the film or not.. Boston College Accused of Point Shaving, was the big headline on the UPI wire. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey. Eventually, he became a part of my own family and spent a lot of time over at our house. Per Game Team and Opponent Stats. 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 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 . He refused to take a plea deal in return for a reduced sentence. He was adamant that he would take the stand in his own defense, despite his lawyers pleas not to do so. The reasons for their failure may have been inherent to the whole project. But as it turned out, the trial was simply one chapter of many in his life, and not the defining one. 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. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram will play outsized roles in how their respective teams close the season. Were really happy with it. The other two kids made whatever choices they made, but look what was done to Ernie. We publish narratives intentionally and specifically to enlighten and transform the world. He says basketball was Ernie's "vocation and avocation. 1956 Find Ernest Cobb's current house address. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. He made other African-American ballers feel like they could go there and really showcase what they could do on a national level. Do you have a sports website? I did everything I needed to do in terms of having the grades and the standardized test scores to get in. I was shining at the camp. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. 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 1968 Topps Baseball Card series includes 598 cards and features multi-player rookie cards. It was a meaningful existence, a testament to persistence and the strength of believing in the beauty of ones dreams, which hed worked so diligently to reconstruct from the ashes of juvenile delinquency and poverty. They made a mistake and we all mess up but its too bad they tossed away a great college basketball experience. Name: Ernie Cobb; Position: Point Guard; Height: 5-11 (1.80m) Weight: 180 (82kg) College Team: Boston College Eagles; Nationality: American; Birthplace: Stamford, Connecticut; Birthdate: 8/31/1956; Drafted: Selected by the Utah Jazz in the sixth round (109th pick overall) of 1979 NBA Draft. Im ready to move on from the actual filmmaking process. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. 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. 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 . A chance meeting in prison. Between being bused to a school that I felt like didnt value me, and my dad leaving the house, my academics went downhill fast. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. Canvas; Clever; Edgenuity; Email / Office 365 / One Drive; Enroll Online; Gaggle (CTE) GCU Learning Lounge; Gradpoint; HMH Reading Inventory; Illuminate Student Log in Hill brought in his mentor, Jimmy Burke, to finance the operation and set up a network of bookies who could advance the financial potential of the scheme. The campus was so beautiful. This has gone on for four years. 27 febrero, 2023 . With his pro career and NBA dream in limbo for over four years since news of Boston Colleges point-shaving scandal was first splashed across the front pages of newspapers and magazines, he simply desired to have his life back. 1975 TOPPS BASEBALL SET #197 ERNIE BANKS-FOX CHICAGO CUBS EX Sold by wlbjr | Ends on 2023-03-06 23:50:31 But when I was about eight years old, they started the busing experiment and I had to leave my community to go to school in the suburbs.. As a matter of fact, one thing Im really happy with in this film, is we really did get to everybody, Lavine said. When I think about my journey, it brings tears to my eyes. I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. And I dont have that. From 1983-87, he served as lead counsel in nationwide class action for 40,000 Xerox pensioners, then the largest class action in Connecticut history, resulting in a settlement that provided increased . How much his positive life trajectory was propelled by it? Theyre no match for us. He told me, Well good, I plan on betting on those games and if you guys win and it turns out like that, Ill take care of you., Man, I was one of the most recognizable athletes on campus and people would come up and talk to me all the time, people I didnt know, Cobb continued. and I were the victims of the same circumstances that were beyond our control. 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. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. I have an incredible circle of supportive friends and have met some amazing people who have impacted my life in ways that I cant even begin to describe., Mr. Alswanger talked with Ernie, who was entering the 9th grade, about his expectations. I think it will always be in the back of my mind somewhere. Couldnt they see how grateful he was, that hed never cheat the thing that gave his life such meaning and purpose? After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. 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. They treated me great. Boston College; Induction 2023; Position: Linebacker Years: 2009-11 Place of Birth: Cincinnati, OH Date of Birth: April 20, 1991 Jersey Number: 40 Height: 6-3 Weight: 238 High School: St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) Possessing a powerful combination of size, speed and football intellect, . Uh-oh, overstock: Wayfair put their surplus on sale for up to 50% off. 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. Im not angry at the school. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Hill also named former BC athletes Ernie Cobb and James Sweeney as participants in the scandal. There were times when the work got really hard, when I wanted to give up, when I had to stay up all night reading or studying or writing papers, and shed be right there pushing me, telling me, You cant give up! Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. But changing his behaviors did not happen overnight. Coach Pouncy in only his second year guided the Boys to the 2000 Class "A" Arizona Junior High School Athletic Association State Champs. He saw something worth saving underneath those shoplifting behaviors. I knew that I could play basketball with anybody. ''I hadn't seen Ernie for several years,'' says Jack Hennessey, a Boston College psychologist who was an informal academic adviser to varsity . I got to know him really well. Ernie, and anybody who truly knew him, who knew about his character and what type of young man he was, we were all heartbroken. He was 83. 1050. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. I just had to be alone, Cobb told the reporters afterwards. Thats the real strength of his story, that you pick yourself up and make something of yourself.. I got caught, they arrested me and I had to go to court. Id made remarkable strides from being sent to a juvenile detention facility, from not being able to read as a high school freshman, said Cobb. Jim Sweeney during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. I said, If this dude has cash like that to burn and wants to give me $1,000 because I told him wed destroy Stonehill, sure, Ill take it. Maybe he was trying to cultivate a relationship with me and soften me up for something down the road. Hed averaged 21.3 points per game during the 1978-1979 season, leading the Eagles to a 21-8 record. rick kuhn boston college now. who were in it from the beginning, and Ernie Cobb . Ernest Cobb Special Education Cross Catagorical High School at Phoenix Union High School District Laveen, Arizona, United States 1 connection After the four-week trial in 1981, Jimmy Burke was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Paul Mazzei and Tony Perla were sentenced to ten. The Nets coaches were telling me, Coach, hes gonna be a great pro., I had a great camp with the Nets and was poised to make the team, said Cobb. He insisted on taking a polygraph test, against his attorneys advice, which he passed. 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. Masters Degree in Education. Cobb eventually cleared his name and Sweeney was never . Boston College 84 Reuben Holmes, Alabama State 107 Bart Kofoed, Kearney State 130 Art Sabb, Bloomfield College 153 Keith Webster, Harvard 1988. As a junior, he averaged 37.6 points per game and was named All-State. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com . Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. 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. College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. He told Ernie that he had to strive to get good grades and work very hard to achieve them, because if he didnt maintain a certain grade-point-average, he wouldnt be eligible to compete. The filmmakers ultimately dont take a side on who did what, instead presenting at times conflicting accounts and letting the audience decide. It was the streets.. 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.. 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. Ernie Cobb. Boston College (1978-79) Conspirators paid Boston College players, mainly Rick Kuhn and Jim Sweeney, to shave points depending on the spread and opponent. So Id go up there all the time and get me one. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile.. 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. 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.. All rights reserved. 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? 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: Draft: Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft. When Henry Hill started threatening Kuhn and Sweeney, promising that they couldnt play with broken limbs, the players, according to Hill, claimed that they were doing their best, but the scheme would never work unless Ernie Cobb was in on the fix. Find out more. I felt like, You put my name out there, so let me clear my name! When they investigated me, I told them straight up about the $1,000 that Rocco Perla had given me. He spent countless in the gym, practicing his basketball skills, replaying a very hurtful experience over and over in his mind, from when he was cut from his junior high school basketball team back in Stamford. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. Just by being there, Id already reached success beyond my wildest dreams. 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. Profile. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. I had a relentless type of game.. The story: Three Boston College players leading scorer Ernie Cobb, forward Richard Kuhn and Sweeney, the team's point guard were fingered by Hill for participating in the point-shaving scheme. His only response was an indication that the investigation was being continued. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. On the stand during the trial, Rick Kuhns girlfriend, Barbara Reed, with whom he shared an apartment during his senior year at Boston College, testified that she overheard Kuhn and Sweeney discussing the Fordham game, saying that they had to keep the ball away from Cobb because he shot the ball all the time. I was better than everybody on the team, but I talked back to him and he cut me because he said I had a bad attitude. 21, right in first row) were part of the . | 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. I didnt even know what goals were, said Cobb. He was 87. Joe Streater was not part of the Boston College point shaving scandal that was popularized this week by ESPN's latest 30 for 30, . He just loves to play basketball. (Rick Kuhn, Photo Credit: bostonglobe.com). Sign up to receive The Shadow League Newsletter in your inbox. The 1978-79 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal involved a scheme in which members of the American Mafia recruited and bribed several . I had my own place to live and all the food I wanted to eat. I cant read., When he told me that, we immediately got him a tutor, said Alswanger. They couldnt stop him. Ernie Cobbs story, in retrospect, is a modern-day adaptation of a Horatio Alger novel, seemingly lifted straight from the pages of Ragged Dick, where the impoverished boy, through determination, honesty and courage, rises out of despair, toward a life of comfort and respectability. Ernie Cobb. . The game had saved his life, delivered him from peril, from a path leading nowhere, from dysfunction and illiteracy, to an elite college education and a shot at the NBA and a better future. Id like to thank all the people who stuck by me all the time, Cobb said after the verdict was announced. City State. Cobb was drafted by the Utah Jazz in the 6th Round and cut during training camp. Sweeney fessed up to taking $500 under duress and escaped prosecution. 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. I was eating Rory Sparrow up, who went on to have a decent NBA career, in that camp. I thought he might have been a student, because he was young and I saw him hanging around Rick Kuhn all the time. It was all so positive.. 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. inStamford,Connecticut won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. Sometimes, B.C. My dad was still in my life, but something changed inside of me, said Cobb. It's been more than 30 years since the . I felt valued, that I mattered and that people cared about me. The scheme began with small-time gamblers Rocco and Anthony Perla who devised a plan with the players to deliberately shave points on specific games to win . He loved the foliage, the fresh air and scenery. I just thank God there is justice.. Couldnt they see how grateful he was, that hed never cheat the thing that gave his life such meaning and purpose? His competitive desires were satisfied with all of the recreation activities that were offered. Cobb insisted on having his day in court, of clearing his name. Studied Social Studies at Boston College. As he walked across the scenic campus, marveled at the schools architectural splendor or ate until his hearts content in the dining hall, hed often pause to quietly give thanks for his fortunate circumstances. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. When the evidence came up at the first trial, it didnt match up, but they still came after me a few years later. There was no getting around that. I was nervous because I didnt know what was going to happen. You realize that you cant play if you dont do this. 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. And unfortunately, if you see a real-life situation that involves people like myself and others, then you say, Wow, thats the type of effect that whatever [the gangsters] do can have on others lives.. And I never go there, like, coulda, woulda, shoulda, because that would only lead to frustration. 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. 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. The only problem was that he didnt have enough money to afford one. I was having a lot of success, we were turning around the fortunes of the program and I was getting a lot of press in the Boston Globe and area newspapers. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA.
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