Professor Emeritus Richard Cobb-Stevens, a widely praised phenomenology scholar who chaired the Philosophy Department for nine years and played a leadership role in the revision of Boston College's core curriculum during the early 1990s, died on July 6. It devastated me as a youngster. 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. Eventually, he became a part of my own family and spent a lot of time over at our house. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. College: Boston University (1979) NCAA Season Stats - Per Game. The only problem was that he didnt have enough money to afford one. Cobb insisted on having his day in court, of clearing his name. Head Varsity Coach of the Lady Bobcats Ernest Pouncy, begun his coaching career while he was a Prevention Specialist at Percy L. Julian school in the Roosevelt School District. But there was one obstacle that hed have to confront head-on. I took every single practice and every single game seriously, said Cobb. I kept me a shiny, new bike.. The teachers lived in our same community and they had relationships with our parents outside of the school. The highlights of the film are the interviews with the former mobsters, now all well past their primes after serving their time, including the gangster Ray Liotta made famous in Goodfellas -- Henry Hill. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. By his senior season, he was an All-American. 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.. 1956 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. He was from Norwalk, not far from where I was from. Every accomplishment made me want to work harder. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Also involved were bookmakers across the . 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. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft, More Ernie Cobb pages at Sports Reference, More Ernie Cobb Basketball Reference pages. Bob Zuffelato, former BC coach, now at Marshall recruited Cobb. She was a miracle worker. He worked hard in class. 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. NCAA. Jim Sweeney during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. He had this unbelievable desire to succeed and you could tell that he wasnt going to let anything stand in his way.. Ernie Cobb. It's also available for football, hockey and baseball. I didnt think anything of it. My parents have suffered. I loved it in Israel, the fans loved me and the people were so beautiful. I was bored with my schoolwork and became the class clown. 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.. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex-convicts Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill. We found public records for Ernest Cobb. My character grew, along with my basketball skills. I moved on many, many years ago, and I think the worst thing you can do is blame others or even blame yourself because thats kinda like a poison that just stays with you. Ernie Cobb was born in Stamford, Connecticut. Things that happened to me and my siblings, it wasnt her fault. It had to cost around $200,000 at the time to defend me.. Duality underpins practically everything about the brief existence of the KD, Harden and Kyrie Nets. Read more atthe Shadow League. Studied Special education at Grand Canyon University. . If the diagnosis was available back then, Im sure they would have found that I had ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ernie Cobb is also introduced, a senior, team captain, and Boston College's top scorer. 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. Studied Social Studies at Boston College. Height: 6-3. 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. fellow accused BC players Ernie Cobb and Michael Bowie (who were completely vindicated), law . 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. And she loved him. . 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. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. Its something that hes still waiting for, to this day. Checkout the latest stats of Ernie Cobb. But as it turned out, the trial was simply one chapter of many in his life, and not the defining one. I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. 1975 TOPPS BASEBALL SET #197 ERNIE BANKS-FOX CHICAGO CUBS EX Sold by wlbjr | Ends on 2023-03-06 23:50:31 (Boston College, photo credit: bostonmagazine.com), Academically, it was a great school and my family could come and see me play, he said. Detroit Mercys Antoine Davis Creeping Up On Pistol Pete Maravichs All-Time NCAA Scoring Mark, A Poor Mans Danny Ainge A Poor Mans Jeff Hornacek: Michael Cooper Torches JJ Redick, I Guard 1 Through 5 | Heats Bam Adebayo Believes He Is NBAs Best Defender And Has Been The Past Two Years. My family has suffered. rick kuhn boston college now. I was back at home, visiting for the summer and about to return to Israel, Cobb said. But she had to work very hard, over some long hours, which meant she couldnt monitor my every move. Playing for the Mob makes good use of Scorseses classic, splicing in Goodfellas clips between interviews and using Liotta as the films narrator. Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. I excelled. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. His sister was going through some struggles. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. The motley crew next ensnared Boston College's leading scorer, Ernie Cobb. I was this poor kid with no financial resources, going on trial with a member of the mob. 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. The distinguished paper later retracted the story. By his sophomore year, he was a starter on the varsity and an All-League selection. He insisted on taking a polygraph test, against his attorneys advice, which he passed. . Bowies reputation was immediately sullied and he subsequently lost his job playing pro ball in Europe when the story broke. From that day on, I became very studious.. As a freshman, he played sparingly and averaged 4.5 points per game while the Eagles finished with a disappointing 9-17 overall record. Some 36 years later, there doesn't seem to be a lot of love lost between key characters Rick Kuhn, Ernie Cobb, and Jim Sweeney, the trio of Eagles allegedly paid to keep scores as close as they . Last Name. It was a tragedy that he never got another chance to play in the NBA., Kevin Loughery never gave me a firm reason why the Nets were letting me go, said Cobb. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He ate, drank and slept basketball. Ernest Cobb in the US: 76 records available . They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. 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. Check out the detailed 1976-77 Boston College Eagles Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. So from then on I had a juvenile record. He was nave at the time, believing that his exoneration would pave the way for apologies and acknowledgements of his innocence: from the NBA, the federal government and Boston College. Today, Cobbs relationship with Boston College remains strained. In practice, he was the lunatic who his teammates sucked their teeth and rolled their eyes at when he told the coaches that they needed to run more sprints after an exhausting practice. who were in it from the beginning, and Ernie Cobb . 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. Follow him on Twitter @jack_mccluskey. I felt valued, that I mattered and that people cared about me. 35, fourth from left), Ernie Cobb (No. UCONN brought in the Governor, judges, you name it., When the letters started coming in, I realized that I had a chance to go to college, said Cobb. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. It's been more than 30 years since the . By Bob Hohler Globe Staff,March 16, 2014, 12:00 a.m. Rick Kuhn (No. Three basketball players at Boston College Jim Sweeney, Ernie Cobb, and Richard Kuhn became entangled with members of the Mafia in a points-shaving scandal during the 1978-79 season. Jack McCluskey | Special to ESPNBoston.com, '30 For 30' tackles BC point-shaving scandal, Steve Addazio calls Tyler Murphy clincher vs. USC, Harvard's Zack Hodges gets his shot with Colts, Wesley Saunders helps Harvard recover to capture crucial Ivy win, Beanpot final, consolation moved to Feb. 23, Signing Day Notes: Fences going up for local programs, Boston College unveils 25-man recruit class, Northeastern knocks BC from Beanpot throne. These people [in the mob] get glamorized or sensationalized, Sweeney said. Boston College 84 Reuben Holmes, Alabama State 107 Bart Kofoed, Kearney State 130 Art Sabb, Bloomfield College 153 Keith Webster, Harvard 1988. 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. It was all so positive.. inStamford,Connecticut He had all of this ability, and he worked so hard, said Alswanger. Tell me what you did and what you didnt do. The first goals that Alswanger stressed revolved around academics. He told him that he had talent, but that wasnt enough. I never got to realize my dream of playing in the NBA, but Ive been all over the globe and have experienced so many different and beautiful cultures. 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 wanted my name cleared and it took a long time.. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. We may earn a commission from links on this page. He acknowledges taking $500, but says he never did anything to fix games. It was there, where a whole new world opened up to him. Jim Sweeney was not charged. During his court hearing, the judge sentenced him to a six-month sentence in the Meriden Juvenile Detention Facility. And, of course, there are betting lines with the pick circled and handwritten box scores with the names of the alleged conspirators highlighted. 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. August 31, He also . Everywhere he went, he had a book with him at all times., I became so focused, said Cobb. Being at Boston College, when I first got there, was so amazing, said Cobb. I was shining at the camp. Proactive and highly responsive counselor to students, parents, faculty, community and district needs. At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. Thursday, March 22, 1984. During the 1978-78 basketball season, Boston College was the latest team scandalized by a point shaving scheme involving the New York mob. We lived in dormitories. . Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Heading into his senior season in 1978-1979, as the team captain, Cobb was hoping that he could lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. Class of 1979. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. Coach Alswanger, I have a confession to make, Ernie told the man sitting across from him. He was this little guy who could score like crazy! 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. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. He yearned to shake himself free from being associated with the gangsters that would later be immortalized in the movie Goodfellas Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke, Paul Vario and the Lucchese Crime Family apparatus that supported the biggest college sports point-shaving scandal since the 1950s. His mother, Hattie, worked as a domestic and struggled to provide for her four children. 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 . His mother was doing her best to put bread on the table. After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. He craved to clear his name once and for all. 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. My dad was still in my life, but something changed inside of me, said Cobb. . Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. Kuhn was later convicted and served ten years in prison for the crime. The tone is set by black-and-white mug shots and film strips from surveillance of mobsters interspersed with BC team photos and action shots from newspaper coverage of the season. Cobb eventually cleared his name and Sweeney was never . 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. The film also benefits from the fact that most of those involved agreed to speak on camera, including Sweeney, fellow accused BC players Ernie Cobb and Michael Bowie (who were completely vindicated), law enforcement officials and all the principals on the organized crime side of the story. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. Do you have a sports website? 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. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. The campus was so beautiful. 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 was so frustrated at one point that I got on my bike in Stamford, Connecticut and just started riding. He yearned to shake himself free from being associated with the gangsters that would later be immortalized in the movie Goodfellas: Henry Hill, Jimmy Burke, Paul Vario and the Lucchese crime family apparatus that supported the biggest college sports point-shaving scandal since the 1950s. I dominated all those guys on the playground and they laughed at me when I got cut. I would walk long distances, for miles, out into the suburbs in Greenwich. The history of Boston College's involvement in illegal activity involving sports travels back to 1954, but the most notorious of the indiscretions was uncovered in 1981. . And in that article in Sports Illustrated, Henry Hill says, The word came back that Cobb was enthusiastic. The key phrase there is The word came back. I dont know what Rick Kuhn was telling Henry Hill or the Perla brothers. | 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 had a relentless type of game.. They were just doing their jobs. 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 . I dont know what went down because I wasnt involved. I didnt know what that was all about. Sweeney fessed up to taking $500 under duress and escaped prosecution. 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. Ron Tompkins is a former major league pitcher who played for the Kansas . But Ill always be curious about certain things that went on.. His competitive desires were satisfied with all of the recreation activities that were offered. 11. Hill also named former BC athletes Ernie Cobb and James Sweeney as participants in the scandal. Couldnt people see how much he loved the game? But well come back to that later. On Saturday morning, March 24, 1984, a tiny blurb in newspaper sports sections across the nation read: Ex-basketball star Ernie Cobb was acquitted Friday of taking part in a point-shaving scandal that rocked Boston College in 1978-1979, and tearfully asked for a fair shot to resurrect his chances at a pro career. Birthplace/Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut, Height: 5-11 (180cm) Weight: 180 (82kg), Current NBA Status: Unrestricted Free Agent. Cobb admitted to accepting $1,000 but wasn't prosecuted. That includes Rick Kuhn, the former minor league baseball player who started the scandal and who Sweeney says got him involved in it. rick kuhn boston college now 19 3407 . In "Playing for the Mob'' which features commentary from Sweeney, Hill, Ernie Cobb, the leading scorer on that Boston College team, and others he tells what happened 36 years ago. Select the first team from the drop down menu. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. Couldnt they see how grateful he was, that hed never cheat the thing that gave his life such meaning and purpose? But I didnt know if Id be able to handle the academics.. 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 was focused in the moment. A chance meeting in prison. And I dont think it ever stayed with me.. Experience of 5 years in . 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. He was adamant, that he would take the stand in his own defense, despite his lawyers pleas not to do so. Between being bused to a school that I felt like didnt value me, and my dad leaving the house, my academics went downhill fast. standards like the rest of the students, most who came from wealthy and very strong academic backgrounds. 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. 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. He ate, drank, and slept basketball. They left, and that was that. He sold copy machines and paved driveways for an asphalt company, which was ironically the same job his father found when hed relocated from North Carolina to Connecticut some twenty years earlier. The story captures Cobb's fascinating journey beginning with a challenged upbringing and the appearance of an unlikely mentor in Hermy Alswanger, to college basketball fame and then to the unwelcomed notoriety associated with being falsely linked to the Boston College point shaving scandal. won the gangsters some serious money by falling short of the spread. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. 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. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. We got really close and he looked out for me. At around the same age, his parents separated, with his father moving across town. Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Ernie Cobb joined the scheme for the last five games . From that point on, I wanted to become the best basketball player that I could possibly be.. 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. When he told Alswanger about the indictment, his old high school coach spoke sternly with him, as he'd done sometwelveyears earlier when Cobb had just returned home fromthe juvenile detention facility. The day I got to Stamford High School, Coach Alswanger was there waiting for me. 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: He was like a big brother to my own son. A Trenton, New Jersey, native, Lavine grew up there about the same time as Jim Sweeney -- a schoolboy legend in Trenton who went on to star at BC. After she began working with him, she came to talk to me and said, Oh my god! Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. Im going off on the basketball court, scoring like crazy, the gamblers are losing their shirts, and they start talking about, We have to have Cobb. Anybody thats ever seen me play knows that I was only stuck in one gear, and that was super-charged-turbo! I did everything I needed to do in terms of having the grades and the standardized test scores to get in. I dont know if they recognize it, but B.C. This has gone on for four years. Weve had serious problems with all of the other kids but we never had a problem with Ernie. 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. I was excited about school and learning. Leading scorer Ernie Cobb was accused . It was a meaningful existence, a testament to persistence and the strength of believing in the beauty of ones dreams, that hed worked so diligently to reconstruct from the ashes of juvenile delinquency and poverty. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. Find Ernest Cobb's current house address. Here was someone who believed in him, someone who was willing to work with him and teach him about this game of basketball, which he loved more than anything.
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