I felt bad for my mom, he said. standards like the rest of the students, most who came from wealthy and very strong academic backgrounds. Couldnt people see how much he loved the game? Fourteen hours later, I arrived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.. Cobb admitted to accepting $1,000 but wasn't prosecuted. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. He also . College: Boston University (1979) NCAA Season Stats - Per Game. Here was this kid who had all the odds stacked against him, and he was so committed to being successful., His focus and work ethic was amazing, Alswanger continued. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him. The reality is there are only four real contenders. Some had connections to various upper-level gambling circles and some were connected to the mob as we take a look . Boston College confirmed the investigation on Friday. 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? Ernie Cobb joined the scheme for the last five games . I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. 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. 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. We had a good old time. Couldnt they see how grateful he was, that hed never cheat the thing that gave his life such meaning and purpose? But I never agreed to fix any games or shave any points. Its one of several seeming contradictions the gangster-turned-informant offers during the film, right along with this doozy early on: I didnt threaten him or nothin, Hill says in the film, I just said, Its hard to play basketball with a broken arm.. We get home, I open it up, and theres $1,000 in there.. 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.. Hill claimed he made between $75,000 . He was hopeful that hed have another chance to make it in the NBA. But changing his behaviors did not happen overnight. I cant read., When he told me that, we immediately got him a tutor, said Alswanger. 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: 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. 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.. Using extensive background research as well as interviews with the principal characters, Fixed provides the first in-depth reconstruction of the point-shaving scandal involving the 1978-1979 Boston College basketball team, from the genesis of the plot in the summer of 1978, through the uncovering of the scheme during an unrelated investigation in 1980, to the trial that captivated the sports . We never starved. He wanted to win every foot race, every pickup game of basketball and sandlot football, or any other endeavor that ended with a final score and winning result. Drafted #109 in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Jazz. inStamford,Connecticut It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. Until of course, he was caught and arrested for stealing one. She was a miracle worker. The vast expanses of grass fields allowed him to run free and clear his mind. He said, Ernies the only kid who listened, did everything he was supposed to do and never tried to run away. Also wondered what became of Ernie Cobb. During the 1978-78 basketball season, Boston College was the latest team scandalized by a point shaving scheme involving the New York mob. I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. All rights reserved. Ernie Cobb, G, 1975-79 - 1,760 12. Did Uncle Neely Forget Which Side He Plays For? Ernest Cobb in the US: 76 records available . Man, I would watch Jo Jo White, Dave Cowens and John Havlicek playing on television, on that same famous floor where Bill Russell and Bob Cousy and all of those great Celtics teams won all those championships, said Cobb. The combination thereof led to the downfall of a previously untouchable New York crime boss responsible for multiple murders and the largest cash heist in U.S. history, via cronies in Pittsburgh who ran a point-shaving scheme that paid a few players to keep scores within the spread at Boston College during the 1978-79 college basketball season. 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.. Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. . I was mesmerized.. 1978, and March 1, 1979. I told him, you cant just be great on offense, you gotta play great defense as well.. We found public records for Ernest Cobb. All Kuhn had to do was ensure that the Eagles fell short of the point spread in the games that they bet on. Jim Sweeney admits that Kuhn gave him cash. Find out more. Old Greenwich was a really rich neighborhood, and theyd have all these beautiful bikes just sitting out there on the lawn. Weight: 238. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the . Sep 28, 1980 - Ernie Cobb, . Thats the real strength of his story, that you pick yourself up and make something of yourself.. How much he was indebted to it? Ernest Constantine Cobb, passed away peacefully on Feb. 27th, after a long and full life. 35, fourth from left), Ernie Cobb (No. On Friday morning, March 23rd, the jury came back with a unanimous innocent verdict for Ernie Cobb, exonerating him of all charges. 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. Theyd taken my passport and I had to stay here and face these charges, said Cobb. I didnt know what that was all about. His mother, Hattie, worked as a domestic and struggled to provide for her four children. This has gone on for four years. Of course, of course I was upset, but what could I do? For me, it worked.. He eats it up. It was like this whole new world opened up to him and his desire to succeed was unreal. By Bob Hohler Globe Staff,March 16, 2014, 12:00 a.m. Rick Kuhn (No. But I didnt know if Id be able to handle the academics.. I wanted my name cleared and it took a long time.. 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. And he was all about the team and winning, despite the fact that he was an offensive machine. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 8:19PM. 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. The arresting officer for the second incident took an interest in the young kid, and saw more than just a young man escalating into juvenile delinquency. Select the fourth team from the drop down menu. 17 Eric Leckner, Wyoming Experience for 11 years as a high school mathematics teacher. 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 . But my high school coach got his friends to take my case, pro bono. He ate, drank, and slept basketball. We were all so excited for him. Sweeney fessed up to taking $500 under duress and escaped prosecution. At the close of the two-week trial, Alswanger was the last character witness who took the stand in Cobbs behalf. We might have worn the hand-me-downs of the families that she worked for, but we always had clean clothes. I got to know him really well. 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. Out of everything that happened, thats one thing that hurts me tremendously, Cobb said. 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. | 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. Studied Special education at Grand Canyon University. 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. 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 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. You understand? I want to be disassociated from it as well. 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. I have suffered. After Cobb was not charged, he thought he was finally past the sordid affair. And I dont think it ever stayed with me.. With having to work long hours, her children had a lot of free, unsupervised time on their hands, some of which was not utilized wisely. My parents have suffered. Jack McCluskey is an editor for ESPN.com and a frequent contributor to ESPNBoston.com. Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft, More Ernie Cobb pages at Sports Reference, More Ernie Cobb Basketball Reference pages. It all seemed like a fairy tale, until he was indicted for allegedly fixing college basketball games for the mob. She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. 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. After more than a decade spent trying to make Playing with the Mob happen, Lavine is ready to move on to a new project. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com . Ernie Cobb, the star of the Boston College basketball team in the 1978-79 season, was found not guilty yesterday of charges that he joined a game- rigging conspiracy to benefit gamblers that season. I went into that same Caldors and got arrested again for stealing one.. He jumped in the air, as if soaring for a rebound, as cheers filled the courtroom. He took advantage of an opportunity that surfaced when a pro team from Israel offered him a spot on their roster. I went to an all-black school where everyone knew each other, said Cobb. 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. The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. There was no getting around that. Boom_70, Aug 31, 2011 #5. mrblake New Member. Thursday, March 22nd, 1984. He loved the foliage, the fresh air and scenery. 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. Birthplace/Hometown: Stamford, Connecticut, Height: 5-11 (180cm) Weight: 180 (82kg), Current NBA Status: Unrestricted Free Agent. Rick Kuhn during Boston College men's basketball's 1978-1979 season. Hes a good person. His girlfriend, whom hed met during his first week on campus, was an upperclassman that knew how to navigate the schools academic landscape. He was adamant that he would take the stand in his own defense, despite his lawyers pleas not to do so. Check out the detailed 1976-77 Boston College Eagles Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. 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 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. October 11th, 2021 , 09:01. Class of 1979. us, College: His lifes dream of making it to the NBA, which was where he belonged, was taken away from him. Years later, I wound up using that police officers Cadillac to go to my high school prom, said Cobb. As for his role in what happened, Sweeney says hes never run from the truth. Ernest was born in Harlem, the first son of the . I was doing well academically and the dream of playing professional basketball was getting closer.. . He just kept swishing them in, 30 or 35 points, I dont remember., Hill went on to say, And they (Kuhn and Sweeney) were still saying, We got to have Cobb. I realized that and so I passed the word through Tony (Perla), At all costs, talk to him. Next thing I heard Cobb was all set, but it was going to take another $2,500 for his share. He just loves to play basketball. 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. It was the streets.. 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. As a matter of fact, one thing Im really happy with in this film, is we really did get to everybody, Lavine said. He was a murderer and a horrible human being. But for Bowie, it was too little, too late. Contribute to The Shadow League today and help us share our narratives. Everything Id worked so hard for was coming to fruition.. He wasnt a trial lawyer, so he brought in his colleague, David Golub. It was a beautiful place, way out there in upstate Connecticut, where they treated us well. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile.. I dont know if the losses can ever be made upnot the losses me and my family and friends have suffered. Draft: Utah Jazz, 6th round (1st pick, 109th overall), 1979 NBA Draft. All of those guys walkedin his footsteps., He was the African-American guard in the modern era of B.C. 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. Cobb just wanted to live his life and do what he did best: play ball. He was this little guy who could score like crazy! 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