Alvin "Fats" Roth (November 2, 1929 – June 19, 2003) was an American professional basketball player known for his playing days at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

(CCNY) between 1949–50 and 1950–51. Roth was a contributing member of the only basketball team in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

history to win both the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

(NIT) and NCAA Tournament in the same season. Roth was one of four

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

starters on the CCNY squad that defeated Bradley in both championship games.

College career

Roth was 6'4", weighed 210 pounds and played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. He grew up in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and attended

Erasmus Hall High School Erasmus Hall High School was a four-year public high school located at 899–925 Flatbush Avenue between Church and Snyder Avenues in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush neighborhood of the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brookly ...

, where as a

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

in 1947–48 he led them to a PSAL championship. Due to his poor academic grades, Roth was ineligible to attend CCNY his

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

year; one year later Roth was admitted to the school as a sophomore. It was this season that CCNY won both national basketball championships (the NIT was actually considered the premier national championship at the time). One year later, news broke about a point-shaving scandal that was sweeping east coast universities, and at its heart was CCNY's squad led by

Nat Holman Nat Holman (born Nathan Helmanowich; October 19, 1896 – February 12, 1995) was an American professional basketball player and college coach. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and is the only coach to lead his team ...

. Roth was one of the players arrested in the scandal. In July 1952, a judge suspended his sentence after Roth volunteered to join the United States Army as a private in the following month."'Fixed' Player Draws Suspended Sentence"
''

The Pittsburgh Press ''The Pittsburgh Press'', formerly ''The Pittsburg Press'' and originally ''The Evening Penny Press'', was a major afternoon daily newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for over a century, from 1884 to 1992. At the height of its popul ...

'', Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, volume 69, number 37, July 30, 1953, page 24. Roth's admission into CCNY despite his poor grades was a result of transcript altering by Holman. Nationally, all of the players who were convicted of participating in the scandal were banned from ever playing in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA).

Professional career

Eastern League

Due to his ban, Roth played for a time in the Eastern League, although it is unknown which team he played for.

Personal life

After his playing days, Roth went back to CCNY to earn his business degree, then moved to the suburbs of New York City to sell insurance. He died June 19, 2003, in Rockford, New York.Alvin Roth's obituary
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Alvin 1929 births 2003 deaths Banned NBA players CCNY Beavers men's basketball players Erasmus Hall High School alumni Guards (basketball) Basketball players from Brooklyn United States Army soldiers American men's basketball players Jewish American basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen