Jim Burt (American football)

Jim Burt
No. 64
Position: Defensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: June 7, 1959
Place of birth: Orchard Park, New York
Career information
College: University of Miami
Undrafted: 1981
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: —
Sacks: 20.0
Interceptions: 0
Stats at NFL.com

James P. Burt (born June 7, 1959 in Orchard Park, New York) is a former American football player who played for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). Burt played nose tackle for the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI and the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIV.

College career

Burt attended the University of Miami, where he started on the football field for the Hurricanes and was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.[1]

Professional career

Burt joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1981. He made the Pro Bowl in 1986 and finished his career with his 20 quarterback sacks. Burt was respected throughout the league for his toughness and determination, which resulted in him going from being an undrafted rookie free agent to a Pro Bowler.[2] He is also known for knocking out 49ers quarterback Joe Montana on a pass in the 1986 NFC Divisional Playoff game. Montana's pass was picked off and returned for a touchdown by Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor. The Giants won, 49-3, on their way to winning Super Bowl XXI.

Although many people often credit Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor with inventing the "Gatorade Shower" on coaches following wins, Burt actually created it in 1984.[3] As Carson stated in his 1987 book Point of Attack:The Defense Strikes Back head coach Bill Parcells was especially hard on Burt in practice. Parcells on the Thursday before the game made Burt raise a 20 lb. dumbbell repeatedly off the ground in the weight room for 45 minutes to simulate raising his arm powerfully out of his stance at the snap of the ball. Burt exacted revenge on Parcells after a 37-13 win over the Washington Redskins on October 28, 1984 by dousing him with a cooler of Gatorade. This has since become a tradition in football analogous to the champagne showers teams make in their locker rooms after winning a championship.

Burt battled back problems with the New York Giants which ultimately caused Parcells to announce his retirement in 1988.[2] Burt, however, was not ready to retire and instead joined the San Francisco 49ers for the 1989 season. He won his second Super Bowl when they defeated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV.

During the 2006 season, Burt travelled to Dallas to give moral support to his former tormentor Parcells who was then head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. He also delivered a pre-game speech and stood on the sidelines exulting Dallas' defensive players.[2]

Personal

Burt's son Jim Burt, Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and also went to Miami, but played collegiate baseball rather than football for the Hurricanes. Jim Burt Jr. also played for a CT collegiate baseball team the Torrington Twisters.[4]

Burt lived in Allendale, New Jersey when he was playing for the Giants.[5] He has since been a resident of Saddle River, New Jersey.[6]

Jim played high school football in Orchard Park, N.Y.; his teammates included Craig Wolfley, who was later an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Larry Pfohl, who would later find fame as professional wrestler Lex Luger.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Football Inductees, umsporsthalloffame.com, accessed January 13, 2007.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gola, Hank. Burt with 'Boys as Tuna helper, November 1, 2006, accessed April 29, 2007.
  3. ↑ Highlights from the History of Gatorade, amanet.org, accessed January 13, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Miami Hurricanes 2003 summary", Sports Illustrated, June 11, 2003
  5. ↑ Araton, Harvey. "Sports of The Times", The New York Times, December 13, 1998. Accessed August 21, 2011. "They would say things like, 'When we saw a macho guy like you do it. . .' Burt said from his Allendale, N.J., home. I remember thinking, 'I can't believe this.' I couldn't believe men, fathers, could actually think that way. I always thought the macho thing to do was hug your kid."
  6. ↑ Popper, Steve (July 5, 2004), "Burt Jr. Now Tackling First Base in Class A", The New York Times, Burt Jr. has time. While driving from his parents' home in Saddle River, N.J., to Brooklyn on Thursday for his second game with the Cyclones, he listened to the broadcast of the Mets' game and heard the description of Valent bobbling a ground ball and making an errant throw to Al Leiter covering first.

External links