While Jim Jeffrey's personal athletic career did not involve wrestling, his passion for the sport helped establish high school wrestling in Alabama. He attended City High School in Chattanooga, TN, from 1951-1954, where he garnered attention from many colleges, including Auburn University. Jim started as a tackle for Auburn on both offense and defense for two years, during which Auburn never lost a game. Drafted in the 11th round by the Chicago Cardinals and by the Canadian Football League Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Jim instead decided to work as a coach/teacher. His degree in Education/Social Studies led to a Master's Degree in Administration/Traffic Safety at the University of Montevallo and a 37-year career in education. Jim's involvement in high school wrestling began at E.B. Erwin High School in Birmingham, AL, when Principal Roy Holsomback told Jim to start a wrestling program. Jim coached wrestling and football at Erwin until he moved to Vestavia Hills High School in 1977, where he coached football and wrestling until 1982. At Erwin, he also created the state's first Mat Maid program. His records for both schools are impressive for a coach with no experience as a wrestler: career team record of 113 wins, only 4 losses, and 2 ties; 48 state champion wrestlers; and a team that never finished below 5th in the state. Together with Coach Joe Perkins from Berry High School, he also created and ran Vulcan Wrestling Camps. His dedication to the sport continued after his retirement from coaching. Jim was chosen by the AHSAA to act as Director of the State High School Wrestling Tournament, serving in that capacity for 28 years. One of his best contributions was bringing all classes of the state tournament under one roof. He also served as the Southeast representative for the National Wrestling Rules Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Federation of High School Athletics. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the NFHSA for his work in establishing and promoting wrestling in Alabama. Also, the AHSAA Wrestling State Tournament Most Outstanding Wrestler Award has been renamed in his honor. Upon his retirement from coaching, Jim continued to work in Vestavia as an assistant principal and Director of Auxiliary Services, with a focus on at-risk children. He created the VISION Alternative School program, the Peer Helper program, a tobacco/alcohol/drug education and testing program for students, and the school system's Crisis Management Plan. Jim also volunteered for more than 30 years with the American Legion Alabama Boys State. In 2010, Auburn University created The James Edward Jeffrey Leadership Scholarship (full tuition for four years) for an Alabama Boys State participant who demonstrates excellence in leadership. Jim and his wife of 49 years, Inez, have four children Millie (Whitacre), Jimmy, Jenni (Dismukes), and Jacki (Lindsay) and six grandchildren Alex Whitacre, Holden and Brennan Jeffrey, Anne Claire and Ally Dismukes, and Emily Lindsay.