Point shaving scandals have occurred a number of times in college sports history - a few of the big ones:
Northwestern's Point-Shaving Plot
Just days before the 1998 Final Four, Northwestern, known for its academic prowess far more than its athletic acumen, became associated with a shameful point-shaving scandal.
Two former starters for the Wildcats, Kenneth Dion Lee and Dewey Williams (pictured above), were
charged with fixing three games during the 1994-95 season. The two were charged with point shaving while they were connected with two other men who paid the players for their attempts at fixing the games. That season the Wildcats finished 5-22.
Both players spent brief time in prison.
Later that year, the Wildcats' football program came under scrutiny after four other football players were
charged with perjury in regards to betting on their own games during the 1994 season.
Boston College's Point-Shaving Scheme
In a point-shaving scandal that significantly trumps the arrangement at Northwestern, three Boston College players became embroiled in a betting scheme conceived by gamblers Henry Hill, Rocco and Tony Perla, and Paul Mazzei. Some had connections to various upper-level gambling circles and some were connected to the mob.
Ultimately, BC players Rick Kuhn, Jim Sweeney and leading-scorer Ernie Cobb were implicated, though Cobb was acquitted of sports bribery and Sweeney was never charged. As the plan went, each player was to be paid $2,500 for each game the Eagles successfully failed to cover the spread throughout various pre-determined games in the 1978-79 season.
In essence, the gambling side would bank on Boston College’s ability to win, but to win by less than the betting line predicted. In total, the group had fixed or attempted to fix nine Boston College games.
After both parties made substantial gains, Hill was eventually arrested and became a government informant in hopes of immunity. Thanks to him, we have
this piece from
Sports Illustrated in 1981.
Kuhn, the point man on the BC side, was sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence, which was later reduced to 28 months.
Tulane's Point-Shaving Scam
A point-shaving scandal involving gambling, drugs and thousands of dollars engulfed Tulane’s basketball program in 1985, forcing the president to drop the sport entirely from its athletic program.
Five players, including future NBA center John “Hot Rod” Williams (above) became consumed in the plot to fix two games—one against Southern Mississippi, the other against Memphis State.
Perhaps more damning than the players’ bribery scheme, it was determined that Ned Fowler, then the head coach of the Green Wave, had paid players throughout the season, a clear violation of NCAA conduct. According to the
Los Angeles Times, Williams had received $100 dollars a week, but he’d also received substantial cash during his recruitment.
Fowler, two assistants and the school’s athletic director all resigned. The basketball program was eventually
reinstated for the 1990-91 season.
1950's Point-Shaving Scandal
No college point shaving scam has ever been as widespread as what transpired in the early 1950s.
Seven schools, including hallowed programs such as Kentucky and City College of New York (the only team to ever win the NIT and NCAA tournaments in the same year), and 32 players were implicated in the extensive scheme.
Gamblers bribed dozens of players to shave points, not throw games, a distinction that perhaps salvages some of the players’ pride. In total, the scam involved
86 games, spanning from 1947 to 1950.
Two Kentucky players, guard
Ralph Beard and center Alex Groza, were embroiled in the scheme and had their promising NBA careers derailed after the league banned the two for life in 1952. As the final hammer, the NCAA suspended the entire Kentucky basketball program for the 1952-53 season.