Jim was born and raised in Huntsville, AL, attended Butler High School and graduated in 1967. After graduating from Butler, Jim attended the University of Tennessee and graduated with a degree in Zoology in 1971. In the fall of that year Jim began his teaching and coaching career at Westlawn Junior High in Huntsville where he coached football, baseball and track and then in 1974 he became the head wrestling coach. In the fall of 1975 Jim transferred to Butler High School, coaching wrestling along with Glynn Stowe and John Calvarese. During that time, Butler wrestling won three Regional Championships and three State Championships. Then in 1979, Jim transferred to Huntsville High School where he began a successful career as the head wrestling coach. His teams finished in the top ten in the State Tournament 9 times, with the 1983 team finishing second, which was a school record. His teams won several Area Championships, 3 Huntsville City Championships and he was voted Huntsville City Schools Coach of the Year 3 times. He coached five individual state champion wrestlers and many state place finishers.

In 1980, while coaching at Huntsville High, Jim started the Huntsville Invitational Wrestling Tournament, serving as Tournament Director for 25 years, doing both the scoring and the announcing. This tournament has become one of the longest running wrestling tournaments in the state. When the State Wrestling Tournament was moved to Huntsville Jim worked as a volunteer and scored the tournament for two years.

In 1991 Jim was appointed Assistant Principal at Lee High School and then in 1994 he was appointed as the Principal of Huntsville Middle School. Jim retired from Huntsville City Schools in August of 2009.

Jim and his wife Emily have two children, Patrick (Mary) and Sally (Taubuki) and four grandchildren, Harrison, Alex, Millie and Nichols.