CCNY point-shaving scandal

The CCNY point-shaving scandal of 1951 was a college basketball point-shaving gambling scandal which revealed widespread bribery and match fixing involving major colleges and universities both in and around New York City, particularly at the Madison Square Garden. While the public scandal officially involved at least seven American colleges and universities (with one university having a player retroactively participating in the event during this time after initially being missed during the original investigation period), the scandal has been most closely associated with the 1949–50 CCNY Beavers, which won both the 1950 NCAA basketball tournament and 1950 National Invitation Tournament and had a number of players implicated in point shaving and match fixing.

The initial scandal centered on New York City area colleges and universities: CCNY, Manhattan College, New York University and Long Island University, before spreading farther out west to the University of Toledo, Bradley University, and 1951 NCAA champion University of Kentucky. Players in California (specifically in Southern California and San Francisco), Oregon, Colorado, Georgetown, and the Ivy League were also to have met up with gamblers as well, though only one player from those areas would ultimately accept any of their offers. CCNY was eventually banned from playing at the Madison Square Garden, although both head coach Nat Holman and assistant coach Bobby Sand were cleared of any wrongdoing themselves. Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan led the prosecution of dozens of gamblers and players for attempted bribery and match fixing, including thirty-five players (some of whom had played professionally, including at the NBA), a disgraced NBA referee, and multiple members of organized crime. Previous investigations related to the scandal also revealed widespread bribery of police and corruption within the New York City Police Department, which led to the resignations of mayor William O'Dwyer and police commissioner William O'Brien alongside multiple other police officers that accepted bribes.

The scandal itself threatened the integrity of college basketball and threatened its very existence at the time.