1. NYU Basketball Scandal- the Mafia?

Both the mafia and gambling played a role in NYU’s basketball history. In 1933, attending games for the men’s Division I basketball team was quite popular—games sold out each week at Madison Square Garden (MSG). Three gambling rings, however, were discovered in 1945 at MSG and this caused the District Attorney at the time to indict 32 players from New York schools.

Most of these players who were involved in gambling and fixing games were students attending NYU. The scandal continued into 1961 and investigators busted nearly 40 players in the league for organizing games and also communicating with Mafia bosses, such as Thomas Eboli and Vincent Gigante. Eventually, the men’s basketball team was cut. In 1983, the team came back and currently continues as a Division III team.