Roman, Ed

Roman was the leading scorer on the City College of New York (CCNY) basketball team that won both the NIT and NCAA tournaments in 1950. It is the only time in history that any school won both collegiate tournaments in the same year.

Roman was co-captain of the 1951 CCNY team when the triumphs of the previous year turned to a nightmare. On February 18, 1951, Roman and teammates Ed Warner and Al Roth were arrested at Penn Station on bribery charges after returning from defeating Temple (95-71) in Philadelphia. Four other City players from the 1950 team were also arrested in the point-shaving scandal that rocked college basketball in 1951. Thirty-two players from seven schools (including LIU, NYU, and Kentucky) were arrested for their incolvement in fixing 86 games between 1947-1950. All of them were banned by the NBA. Roman, one of the most promising college players in the country, received a suspended sentence, but never played professionally. While college basketball survived the scandal, its landscape was forever changed. The NCAA tournament doubled its field and forbade any team that entered the NIT from also playing in the NCAA. It also removed the Final Four games from New York City (where the tournament had taken place for seven of the previous eight years).

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
During the 1949-50 season, Roman led the Beavers in scoring in 16 of their 22 regular season games. He finished the season with a team-leading 16.4 points per game. After rising to No. 7 in the AP poll earlier in the year, CCNY went through a second-half slump, during which they lost to Canisius, Niagara (which raised some eyebrows), and Syracuse. Only by sweeping the so-called "subway series" among metropolitan New York schools did they earn an invitation to the NIT. Many believed the 17-5, and unranked, City team was headed for an early exit.

In the first round of the 12-team NIT, City began its remarkable run by defeating 12th ranked San Francisco, the defending NIT champions, 65-46. In the quarterfinals, CCNY caused their critics to take notice as they routed No. 3 Kentucky, the two-time defending NCAA champion, 89-50. It was the worse loss in Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp's career, and the Kentucky state legislature passed a resolution calling for the capitol building's flag to be flown at half mast! In the semis, City defeated No. 6 Duquesne, 62-52, earning them a trip to the NIT final and an invitation to the NCAA tournament the following week. In the NIT final, City defeated the top-ranked team in the nation, Bradley, 69-61. The Cinderella CCNY team was the toast of New York; they were honored with a reception at City Hall two days later.

The following week, their remarkable run continued into the less-prestigious 8-team NCAA tournament. The City team defeated No. 2 Ohio State, 56-55, and No. 5 North Carolina State, 78-73, to earn a trip to the final, and a rematch with Bradley. In the final game, City was leading by one when Bradley's leading scorer Gene Melchiorre drove for the go-ahead basket. Irwin Dambrot blocked the shot and threw a long pass to teammate Norm Mager for the final basket of City's thrilling 71-68 victory. Roman scored 12 points in the game as CCNY accomplished what no team had ever done, winning both the NCAA and NIT tournaments in the same season. In the postseason, Roman averaged 13.6 points per game in the NCAA tournament and 14.5 points per game in the NIT. He was named All-East Regional in the NCAA.

The 1949-50 CCNY team was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994.

Origin:
New York City

Career Dates:
Roman played center at CCNY, 1949-1951.

Physical description:
6'6"

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