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. He made the Pro Bowl in 1986 and finished his career with his 20 quarterback sacks.
Burt joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1981. 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. 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.
Although many people often cr Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor with inventing the "Gatorade Shower" on coaches following wins, Burt actually created it in 1984. 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 pounds 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. This has since become a tradition in football analogous to the champagne showers teams make in their locker rooms after winning a championship.
Jim Burt was known to wear an extremely tight jersey causing him to stick out in a crowd.
To protect against opposing players grabbing onto his jersey he opted to wear one that was several sizes smaller. He would need assistance pulling it in and off for each game, sometimes even using scissors to cut off the jersey after the game. Burt battled back problems with the New York Giants which ultimately caused Parcells to announce his retirement in 1988.
Burt, however, was not ready to retire and instead joined the San Francisco 49ers for the 1989 season.
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.
Burt"s son Jim Burt, Junior. followed in his father"s footsteps and also went to Miami, but played collegiate baseball rather than football for the Hurricanes. Jim Burt Junior. also played for a Connecticut collegiate baseball team the Torrington Twisters.
Burt lived in Allendale, New Jersey when he was playing for the Giants.
He has since been a resident of Saddle River, New Jersey. Jim played high school football in Orchard Park, New York 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.
Burt played nose tackle for the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI and the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIV. The Giants won, 49-3, on their way to winning Super Bowl XXI. 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. He won his second Super Bowl when they defeated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV.
