Jim Burch has had a distinguished career in education and as a basketball official. A native of Mamaroneck, New York, Burch is a 1949 graduate of Fayetteville State University and was a teacher, coach and then administrator for many years before joining the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. He was on the DPI staff in various capacities for over 20 years before his retirement in 1992. His officiating experience includes 17 years at the high school level and 29 in collegiate basketball. He worked the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament 20 years, the Southern Conference event 15, and worked four NCAA regional tournaments. Burch has served as the supervisor or coordinator of basketball officials for the Southern Conference, the South Atlantic Conference and the CIAA. He is a member of the Fayetteville State Athletic Hall of Fame, the CIAA Bssketball Officials Hall of Fame, and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Hall of Fame.  In 1996, Referee Magazine selected him as one of the 20 who have most influenced officiating in the last 20 years.