Jim Burt graduated from Bergen Catholic in 1999. As a baseball player at BC, Jim received First Team All County recognition three times and First Team All State Honors twice. Jim also excelled as a football player at BC where he earned All County and All State Honors twice. Jim went on to play baseball at the University of Miami. Some of Jim's accomplishments at Miami include:
- 2003-2004 Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the University of Miami
- 2003-2004 1st Team Academic All- American in Division 1A College Baseball
- 2002-2003 2nd Team Academic All- American in Division 1A College Baseball
- First 3 year Captain in the history of the University of Miami Baseball program
- 2001 NCAA Division 1 Baseball National Champion
After college, Jim was drafted by the New York Mets in the 2004 MLB draft and played three seasons of minor league baseball.