James T. Burch, affectionately known as “Jim”, was recently inducted into the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame as a 2019 honoree on March 1, 2019 during the annual CIAA Basketball Tournament.
Burch was a 1949 graduate and valedictorian of Fayetteville State University and a two-sport student-athlete, who played football and baseball. He would later serve his alma mater as a board of trustee member and he established the James T. Burch Scholarship to recognize student-athletes who exemplify the qualities of academic excellence, involvement in public service, and love of athletic competition.
Jim Burch is well-known in the CIAA for his near 60-year service as a basketball official and Coordinator of Basketball Officials. Burch began his career as an official in 1959, breaking down many barriers in officiating during a time of segregation and integration. He was a trailblazer becoming the first Black game official in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in 1969. Throughout his career, Burch has officiated in the CIAA, ACC, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and Southern Conference (SoCon), and has worked 14 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournaments. He retired from his position as CIAA Coordinator of Basketball Officials in June of 2018.
Burch has been inducted into several halls of fame, including the CIAA Officials, MEAC Officials, North Carolina High School Athletic Association, Southern Conference, and South Athletic Conference.
His enduring legacy will be the hundreds of young basketball officials he worked with, trained and mentored over the years and the Broncos the James T. Burch Scholarship has supported.
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