Oct 6, 2025 By Jonathan Guth 5 min read

Jim Burns Jr. learned early on in his life that he was never going to be an athlete if he wasn’t a student first.

That expectation is not surprising when your father is the superintendent of schools.

Burns’ father, Jim Burns Sr., had a passion for sports, but also education, as he was an educator before becoming the superintendent for the Uniontown Area School District.

“Believe me, from an early age, my grades were very important,” Burns said. “My dad was a stickler on that for quite a while. It was a blessing for me from him. Having an academic career was one thing, but having academic success later in life was a blessing.”

Sports can create many opportunities for students, but with a 30-year career in physical therapy, and his own personal injuries, Burns has learned that athletic prowess doesn’t last forever, and they can also be taken away in an instant.

“Sports is a fragile thing,” Burns said. “I have had so many young kids that I have taken care of as a physical therapist, and it’s devastating to them because sports is all they have. Getting those kids back on the field, court or track is very rewarding, and it can be life-altering in some instances.”

Burns, who is a 1985 graduate of Uniontown Area High School, took his place among some of the greatest athletes to don the maroon and white, when he was inducted into the Uniontown Area High School Hall of Fame’s 12th class last month.

Burns, and the rest of the inductees, were honored prior to the Red Raiders’ football game against Brownsville at Bill Power Stadium before having a brunch and official ceremony the next day.

The induction ceremony was a trip down memory lane for Burns, and he was blown away by some of his peers that were introduced as part of the 12th class.

“You talk about an impressive group of people,” said Burns in reference to his fellow Hall of Famers. “I was more than humbled to be on that stage with the rest of the inductees. I am sharing a stage with an opera singer (Joanie Brittingham), plus a basketball player like Jocelyn Chandler who is a wonderful person.

“I was able to see the 1975 basketball team that won the WPIAL title. That was the first team I knew about, and I was a ball boy for that team when I was eight-years-old. I haven’t seen those guys in forever, and they were my idols. I was lucky to start here with my family. I am blessed to still be living in Uniontown. I love it here.”

Burns competed in football, basketball and baseball at Uniontown, and while he was proficient in football and basketball, baseball proved to be Burns’ primary sport.

Burns had the talent, but he credits the coaches in his career for teaching him valuable lessons.

“Back in those days, Uniontown had a standard,” Burns said. “You were meant to play a certain way, and if you didn’t there were consequences to it. I remember a time at Connellsville East when Mr. (Don) Bell Sr. made us run wind sprints in front of the entire student body. Mr. Bell wanted to make a point that there would be consequences if we didn’t play to the standards of the program.”

Burns injured his left knee in the first football game of his sophomore season, which put him out for the year. He was able to recover and earn a spot on the roster for the basketball team.

After being introduced to coaches Ross Orndorff and Joe LaPresta of the baseball team, Burns began to discover what sport was going to be best for him.

“Coach Orndorff and Coach LaPresta were special people,” Burns said. “They made sure that you respected the game and played it the right way. It was a learning experience my sophomore year. I was a role player that year.”

Burns credits LaPresta with teaching him the game, and their bond remains special to this day.

“Joe had the first hit in Uniontown baseball history in 1971,” Burns said. “He has been around the program since the beginning, and is a huge part of my life. It has been 43 years and we are still together.”

Burns played shortstop and third base primarily for the Red Raiders, and during his senior season in 1985, he led the WPIAL in home runs and was an all-section infielder. He made the Western Pa. All-Star Team and played at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

Burns also played American Legion Baseball, as the teams from Laurel Highlands and Uniontown joined up in the summer.

Burns chose to continue his academic and baseball careers at California University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest California) on a partial baseball scholarship under Uniontown native Chuck Gismondi.

He played first and third base and shortstop for the Vulcans, where he was team captain from 1987-’89, and won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Most Valuable Player award two times.

Burns set the California baseball records for hits, doubles and games played. He is a 2010 inductee of the California University Hall of Fame.

Burns continues to use the attributes he gained from competing in sports to this day.

“The teamwork that you learn from sports carries over in life,” Burns said. “Anything you do in life, it is at least with one other person, and you need to learn about working with other people. When I am looking to hire people, I like to probe around in our interviews and see how sports have played a part in their life.”

Burns watched his children, Josh and Jordan, participate in athletics, as Josh played baseball, and Jordan competed in cross country and soccer. Josh continues to play in the Fayette County Baseball League (FCBL) and also coaches.