Looking Back on the Boston College Basketball Point-Shaving Scandal

Henry Hill, a mobster turned government informant, was questioned about his participation in a point-shaving scheme alongside players from the Boston College men’s basketball team in the late 1970s. When asked about his motives, Hill provided an explanation.

Hill remarked that those who do not gamble will never comprehend.

The lack of understanding from gamblers, non-gamblers, school officials, and sports fans was evident, as the scandal resulted in the tarnishing of several individuals’ reputations. Furthermore, the incident cast a shadow over the once-pristine image of “honest, amateur” collegiate athletics.

College basketball was only able to get back on track thanks to the NCAA’s diligent effort.

Since legal Massachusetts sports betting has been launched at the state’s three retail casinos, we deemed it fitting to thoroughly revisit the illicit sports gambling scandal that profoundly impacted the state.

The Real-Life Star of Goodfellas Coordinated Point-Shaving Plot

In case you have watched the movie Goodfellas, directed by Martin Scorcese, the main character Henry Hill must have left a lasting impression on you. Henry Hill, a New York mobster, was extensively involved in numerous illicit activities, truly immersing himself in the world of crime.

The 1990 film, a six-time Oscar nominee, traced Hill’s journey from a street-smart troublemaker to an influential figure in the mafia. Starting as an ordinary individual, he transformed into a flamboyant mafia underboss, accumulating immense wealth through fraudulent activities, robberies, and even committing murder. However, the movie only briefly alludes to one of Hill’s peculiar and extraordinary criminal undertakings.

Hill’s encounter with Tony Perla in 1978 led to the revelation that Perla had a connection to the Boston College men’s basketball team. Specifically, Perla mentioned his friend Rick Kuhn, a 6-foot-5 senior forward on scholarship with the Eagles. Perla held the belief that Kuhn possessed the willingness to engage in illicit activities, such as influencing game results in return for financial compensation.

After a few weeks, Hill and Perla reconnected once more. Hill expressed his intention to devise a strategy for earning profits through BC games.

In a first-person article for Sports Illustrated in 1981, Hill clarified, “My responsibility was to organize everything – from arranging the finances to dealing with any potential issues where a bookie refused to pay.”

During that period, the only place where sports betting was legal in the United States, apart from Nevada, was through authorized sportsbooks. However, numerous illicit bookmakers, predominantly found in major cities, were actively operating. A significant portion of these bookmakers were affiliated with or under the control of organized crime syndicates. If you chose to place a wager with an illegal bookmaker during the 1970s, it was highly probable that a portion or the entirety of your funds would end up in the hands of criminal organizations.

Hill believed that throwing the games would not be a prudent decision. The act would raise suspicions and prove challenging to orchestrate a deliberate defeat. Recognizing that Kuhn lacked a starting position, Hill acknowledged the necessity of recruiting a few additional players to achieve the scheme’s desired outcome.

Bet on the Spread, Not the Moneyline

The mobster concluded that the strategy would involve Kuhn and a small group reducing the number of points scored in order to enable Hill and the insiders to place winning bets on the point spread. Hill, Kuhn, and Perla were in consensus that their intention was not for Boston College to lose the games entirely, but rather to slightly diminish their performance in order for the Eagles to fall short against the spread.

In December of 1978, Kuhn sought to maximize his earnings by involving his teammate Jim Sweeney in a betting scheme. Recognizing Sweeney’s significant playing time as a junior guard, Kuhn approached him with the enticing prospect of making a few thousand dollars per game. The players convened with Hill at a Boston hotel to iron out the specifics of their plan.

Discover more: Exciting Massachusetts Legal Sports Betting Welcome Promotions Await

The original plan entailed players selecting specific games from the schedule wherein they believed they could influence the point spread. Hill offered a payment of $2,500 to each player for every game they chose. Additionally, he agreed to place bets on their behalf for the chosen games, provided he could secure the necessary funds.

Hill utilized his connections within the mob to locate a group of bookmakers spread across different cities, through whom he could channel the bets. During that time, bookmakers typically limited bets on college basketball games to around $500 or $1,000. However, Hill aimed to wager a substantial amount of up to $35,000 on each game. He even involved a select few close associates in the scheme, allowing them to profit from betting against BC on the spread.

Nine Games Were Impacted in 1978-79 Season

During the 1978-79 season, the individuals involved in the conspiracy manipulated game outcomes and placed wagers on a total of nine matches.

The Eagles had an impressive record of 22-9 that season, showcasing their strength as a team. This success prompted Hill to advise Kuhn to recruit another player, leading to the inclusion of senior guard Ernie Cobb in the point-shaving scheme. Cobb, who was BC’s leading scorer, possessed exceptional ball-handling skills and controlled the game whenever he was on the court.

Hill admitted, “It didn’t go as smoothly as I had anticipated.”

During the initial rigged match, the Eagles emerged victorious against Harvard with a narrow three-point lead, despite a projected 12-point spread. Hill took a bold gamble of $10,000 and emerged triumphant. His confidence soared as he witnessed Kuhn and Sweeney consistently making crucial mistakes and strategically fouling at opportune moments.

In the nine games, Hill and his associates faced a few setbacks as they lost their wagers. However, everything changed when Cobb joined the team, as they began to accumulate substantial profits. It has been rumored that Hill managed to earn up to $100,000, while some members of the mafia even made as much as a staggering quarter of a million dollars. Each of the three players received a payment of $2,500 per game, except for the three matches where they successfully avoided a point spread loss.

“After everything, Hill concluded that the effort was not worth the trouble. It proved to be much more challenging than he could articulate. The bookies continuously changed the odds against us, making it difficult for us to place bets in our favor within the given timeframe.”

In 1979, the Eagles successfully qualified for the NCAA Tournament, only to be swiftly eliminated by Connecticut in the first round. Surprisingly, nobody had the slightest inkling that any questionable activities had taken place during that season.

According to our projections, residents of Massachusetts are expected to place bets worth $7 million on the upcoming Super Bowl.

Things Unravel: Hill Testifies Against the Players

Typically, in such illicit endeavors, the word did not remain silent.

Hill was caught by authorities in 1980 for drug trafficking. As depicted in Goodfellas, he decided to cooperate with the state and federal government as an informant. He provided extensive information about his involvement in various crimes, revealing the details of nearly every offense he had committed. He divulged everything, singing like a bird (or perhaps an eagle?).

The Boston College Point-Shaving Scandal quickly led to charges being filed against Perla, Kuhn, Sweeney, and Cobb in a short span of time.

Out of all the players, Kuhn suffered the most severe consequences as he received a 10-year prison sentence from the gavel of justice. Nevertheless, his sentence was later reduced to 28 months. On the other hand, Sweeney and Cobb, despite having little evidence to support their involvement in accepting money or influencing game outcomes, were not charged and were acquitted, respectively.

Hill’s confession of his numerous unlawful deeds resulted in the apprehension of 50 mobsters. This put a target on his back, compelling him and his family to seek refuge in the Witness Protection Program administered by the US Marshals in 1980. For several years, he assumed a new identity and continuously relocated across the nation. Gradually, he shed the cloak of anonymity, embracing the fame that the Scorcese film brought upon him.