Irwin Dambrot
Encyclopedia
Irwin Dambrot was a former first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks
and the Most Outstanding Player of the 1950 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
A 6-foot-4, 175-pound forward, Dambrot attended William Howard Taft High School
in the South Bronx, New York City. He played for coach Nat Holman
at the City College of New York
(CCNY) where as senior captain in 1950 led the Beavers to a 24-5 record and the NCAA men's basketball championship, earning MVP honors in the tournament. After the season, Dambrot was named to the Helms Athletic Foundation
Basketball All-America team.
Dambrot's CCNY team also won the 1950 National Invitation Tournament
(NIT), the only time that one school has won both the NCAA and NIT tournaments in the same season. Dambrot was the only senior starter on the CCNY roster that season.
A January 19, 2003, article in the New York Daily News
described Dambrot as "a sharp-shooting forward known for his relentless enthusiasm."
Dambrot was selected in the first round (seventh overall) by the New York Knicks in the 1950 NBA draft, though he chose a career in dentistry instead.
On March 26, 1951, Dambrot and his CCNY teammates Ed Roman
, Ed Warner
, Norm Mager
, Al "Fats" Roth, Herb Cohen, and Floyd Layne
were arrested on charges of shaving points in three games during the 1949-50 season
. All pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
charges of point shaving
. All received suspended sentences, except for Warner, who received a six-month prison sentence.
According to a March 20, 1996, article in the New York Times by Ira Berkow
, "the CCNY players who were convicted had accepted bribes from gamblers not to throw games, but to keep them under the point spreads. The players received just a few thousand dollars for their efforts, which took place during the season, but not during tournament games."
Dambrot's nephew, Keith Dambrot, is the head basketball coach at the University of Akron
.
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the Most Outstanding Player of the 1950 NCAA men's basketball tournament.
A 6-foot-4, 175-pound forward, Dambrot attended William Howard Taft High School
William Howard Taft High School
Taft School or Taft High School may refer to:* Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, founded by Horace Dutton Taft, William Howard Taft's brotherSchools named after William Howard Taft:* William Howard Taft High School...
in the South Bronx, New York City. He played for coach Nat Holman
Nat Holman
Nat Holman was one of the early pro basketball players and one of the game's most important innovators.-Career:...
at the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(CCNY) where as senior captain in 1950 led the Beavers to a 24-5 record and the NCAA men's basketball championship, earning MVP honors in the tournament. After the season, Dambrot was named to the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
Basketball All-America team.
Dambrot's CCNY team also won the 1950 National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
(NIT), the only time that one school has won both the NCAA and NIT tournaments in the same season. Dambrot was the only senior starter on the CCNY roster that season.
A January 19, 2003, article in the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
described Dambrot as "a sharp-shooting forward known for his relentless enthusiasm."
Dambrot was selected in the first round (seventh overall) by the New York Knicks in the 1950 NBA draft, though he chose a career in dentistry instead.
On March 26, 1951, Dambrot and his CCNY teammates Ed Roman
Ed Roman
Edward Roman was an American college basketball player. He was the leading scorer of the 1949–50 CCNY Beavers men's basketball team, the only team to win both the NCAA tournament and the National Invitation Tournament in the same year...
, Ed Warner
Ed Warner (basketball)
Edward L. Warner was an American college basketball player. He was one of the stars of the 1949–50 CCNY Beavers men's basketball team, the only team to win both the NCAA tournament and the National Invitation Tournament in the same year...
, Norm Mager
Norm Mager
Norman "Norm" Mager was an American basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association for the Baltimore Bullets during the 1950-51 NBA season...
, Al "Fats" Roth, Herb Cohen, and Floyd Layne
Floyd Layne
Floyd Layne was a basketball player for CCNY who was implicated in the point shaving scandal that rocked college athletics in the 1950s. Layne was instrumental in the team that won the NIT and NCAA championship in 1950 for CCNY...
were arrested on charges of shaving points in three games during the 1949-50 season
CCNY Point Shaving Scandal
The CCNY point shaving scandal of 1950-1951 was a college basketball point shaving gambling scandal that involved seven schools in all, with four in Greater New York and three in the Midwest...
. All pleaded guilty to misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
charges of point shaving
Point shaving
In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one...
. All received suspended sentences, except for Warner, who received a six-month prison sentence.
According to a March 20, 1996, article in the New York Times by Ira Berkow
Ira Berkow
Ira Berkow is an American Pulitzer Prize winning sports reporter, columnist and writer.-Life:Berkow earned his BA in English Literature at Miami University, and his MA from the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University...
, "the CCNY players who were convicted had accepted bribes from gamblers not to throw games, but to keep them under the point spreads. The players received just a few thousand dollars for their efforts, which took place during the season, but not during tournament games."
Dambrot's nephew, Keith Dambrot, is the head basketball coach at the University of Akron
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a coeducational public research university located in Akron, Ohio, United States. The university is part of the University System of Ohio. It was founded in 1870 as a small college affiliated with the Universalist Church. In 1913 ownership was transferred to the City of...
.
See also
- CCNY Point Shaving ScandalCCNY Point Shaving ScandalThe CCNY point shaving scandal of 1950-1951 was a college basketball point shaving gambling scandal that involved seven schools in all, with four in Greater New York and three in the Midwest...
- City Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball ScandalCity Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball ScandalCity Dump: The Story of the 1951 CCNY Basketball Scandal is a 1998 documentary film by George Roy and Steven Hilliard Stern, produced by Black Canyon Productions, and HBO Sports about the CCNY Point Shaving Scandal...