Ncaa Referee Jim Burr Retires After 39 Years

Burr, 68, served as an NCAA basketball official, mostly with the Big East, for 39 years. He worked 16 Final Fours and seven NCAA title games.

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“I had a pretty good run,” Burr said, via the Albany Times Union. “I decided that it was time to walk off the court. I had a couple of minor problems, just wear and tear. I’m no spring chicken. I’m getting older.”

Burr’s workload has decreased steadily over the last three years, from 57 games in 2012-13 to 50 in 2013-14 and then 34 last season.

“He reffed all the big games,” said Jim Boeheim, who started his tenure at Syracuse the same year Burr came into officiating (1976-77). “He had Syracuse-Georgetown for 25 years in a row, probably. He didn’t care who won. He never did. He was fair. He got the calls right.”