Tom Jarman was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American for Wheaton College, winning the national championship at 157 pounds in 1963 and finishing fourth in 1964. He was the school's second-ever national champion, and its first in wrestling.

Jarman began his coaching career at Taylor University, where he led the Trojans to 119 dual meet victories between 1969 and 1979.

He then served as Northwestern University's wrestling coach from 1979 to 1989. During his decade in Evanston, Jarman guided the Wildcats to a 111-79 record in dual action. In 1985, he piloted the team to a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten - its highest placement in 14 years. Four years later, Jarman's 1989 squad finished eighth overall at the NCAA Championships, for what was then the second-highest finish in program history. Overall, Jarman guided Northwestern to seven seasons of double-digit dual victories, including back-to-back 15-win seasons in 1986 and '87.

Under Jarman's tutelage, the Wildcats earned seven All-American honors and qualified 26 athletes to the NCAA Tournament. Mike Funk, the program's first four-time All-American, began his Northwestern career under Jarman in 1987 and wrestled to a fourth-place finish at 177 lbs that spring. To cap off his time at Northwestern, Jarman coached two wrestlers to Big Ten Championships in 1989: Jack Griffin at 118 lbs and Mark Whitehead at 190 lbs.

He closed his career at Manchester College (now Manchester University), serving as the head wrestling coach and athletic director for nearly two decades before his retirement in 2007.

Jarman was inducted into Wheaton's Hall of Honor in 1977, and the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame in 1988.