Jim Sanford grew up in Fort Dodge, Iowa where he became a two-time state high school runner-up in 1957 and 1958.

Jim was a three-time league champion in college at the now University of Northern Iowa. He won the 1963 NCAA Division II national championship at 147-pounds. He also was a two-time Midwest AAU champion and won the Omaha Open.

Jim began his coaching career at Logan Junior High School in Waterloo, Iowa in 1963 and had his first head coaching position at Elkader Central in Iowa. It was here that he led his team to a pair of Upper Iowa Conference titles, coaching at the school until 1967.

Jim then went to the University of Colorado, earning his master's degree in 1969.

He was then hired as the head coach at Adams City High School in 1970. While with the Eagles, his teams won three Skyline League titles and the state championship in 1977.

He then became the head coach at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins and held that position until 1983.

At that point, Jim became an assistant coach at Colorado State University for the next two years.

He also served as a high school and college wrestling official. As an official, he worked the first United States Wrestling Federation Junior National Tournament held at Colorado State University.

His awards include Colorado Coach of the Year in 1977.

Also of note, he coached the first Colorado team to victory over a visiting Japanese All-Star Select Team in 1976.