Jim Burt (football player)
Encyclopedia
James P. Burt 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
.
, where he started on the football
field for the Hurricanes
and was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
in 1986 and finished his career with his 20 quarterback sack
s. 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
. 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. 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 often made Burt raise a 50 lb. dumbbell repeatedly off the ground in practice 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. Burt, however, was not ready to retire and instead joined the San Francisco 49ers
for the 1989 season. He won his second Super Bowl with the team when they defeated the Denver Broncos 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.
followed in his father's footsteps and also went to Miami, but played collegiate baseball rather than football for the Hurricanes.
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, 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
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who played for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL). Burt played nose tackle for the Giants team that won Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
and the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
.
College career
Burt attended the University of MiamiUniversity of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where he started on the football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
field for the Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
and was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Burt joined the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1981. He made the Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 1986 and finished his career with his 20 quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. 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
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Joe Montana
Joe Montana
Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...
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
Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Julius Taylor , nicknamed "L.T.", is a Hall of Fame former American football player. Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants in the National Football League...
. The Giants won, 49-3, on their way to winning Super Bowl XXI.
Although many people often credit Harry Carson
Harry Carson
Harold Donald Carson is a former American football inside linebacker who played his entire professional career for the NFL's New York Giants...
and Lawrence Taylor with inventing the "Gatorade Shower
Gatorade shower
The Gatorade shower, also known as the Gatorade dunk and the Gatorade bath, is a sports tradition that involves dumping a cooler full of liquid over a coach's head following a meaningful win, like the Super Bowl. The tradition began with the New York Giants football team in the mid-1980s...
" 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
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Bill Parcells
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football head coach, most recently with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006...
was especially hard on Burt in practice. Parcells often made Burt raise a 50 lb. dumbbell repeatedly off the ground in practice 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
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
. 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. Burt, however, was not ready to retire and instead joined the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
for the 1989 season. He won his second Super Bowl with the team when they defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular 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
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He also delivered a pre-game speech and stood on the sidelines exulting Dallas' defensive players.
Personal
Burt's son Jim Burt, Jr.Jim Burt, Jr.
Jim Burt Jr. is the son of Jim Burt . Burt Jr. was famously carried on his father's shoulders after the Giants won Super Bowl XXI.Burt Jr...
followed in his father's footsteps and also went to Miami, but played collegiate baseball rather than football for the Hurricanes.
Burt lived in Allendale, New Jersey
Allendale, New Jersey
Allendale is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,505.Allendale was formed on November 8, 1894 from portions of Franklin Township, Hohokus Township and Orvil Township at the height of the Boroughitis phenomenon then...
when he was playing for the Giants. He has since been a resident of Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River, New Jersey
Saddle River is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,152. Saddle River has the second-highest per-capita income in the state...
.
Jim played high school football in Orchard Park, N.Y.; his teammates included Craig Wolfley
Craig Wolfley
Craig Wolfley is a former American football player and current sideline reporter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along with former teammate Tunch Ilkin, he hosts a show on ESPN Radio 970.-College career:...
, who was later an offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, and Larry Pfohl, who would later find fame as professional wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Lex Luger
Lex Luger
Lawrence Wendell "Larry" Pfohl , better known by his ring name Lex Luger, is an American former professional wrestler and football player currently working with WWE on their wellness policy...
.