Bio
For 44 years, Jim Burch was an integral part of Southern Conference basketball, first as a landmark figure in the circle of basketball officials, then later as one of the nation's most respected officiating administrators.
In 1967, after years of officiating at the high school level, he was given the opportunity to call games in the Southern Conference, becoming the first African-American official in major college basketball in the south. His skill earned him later invitations to the ACC and other conferences. He worked in 15 SoCon tournaments and 11 NCAA tournaments, including four NCAA regionals.
After deciding to come off the court in 1988, Burch spent 23 years as coordinator of men's basketball officials for the SoCon, succeeding fellow Hall of Fame member J. Dallas Shirley. He currently serves as coordinator of officials for two other NCAA conferences.
A North Carolina native, he is a graduate of Fayetteville State University where he was class valedictorian and is also a member of that institution's Hall of Fame. But his enduring legacy will be the hundreds of young basketball officials he worked with, trained and mentored over so many years.