Jim Nance was a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion with a career record of 43-1 for Syracuse University.

As a sophomore, he beat Larry Kristoff, a Distinguished Member inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2007, in the NCAA finals. Kristoff was a three-time world silver medalist and a two-time world bronze medalist who finished seventh at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and fifth at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.

In 1964, Nance was the No. 1 seed, but lost 2-1 in the quarterfinals on a controversial fleeing the mat call. The dismayed Nance then refused to continue in the tournament.

He returned as the No. 1 seed in 1965 and defeated Russ Winer of Oklahoma State University in the finals.

Nance was a two-time Pennsylvania wrestling state champion for Indiana High School in Indiana, Pennsylvania. It is said that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) added the heavyweight class to accommodate Nance, who was too large for their highest weight class in 1959, which was 185 pounds.

He also played football for three years at Syracuse and tied the school record for career touchdowns while leading the Orangemen in rushing in 1964 with 1,021 yards on 205 carries and scored in 10 straight games. In addition, he rushed for 13 touchdowns, tying the all-time Syracuse Football record (at that time) with Jim Brown, and passing Ernie Davis (12).

Nance decided to turn pro and was selected in the fourth round with the 45th overall pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1965 NFL Draft, and was also selected 151st overall in the 19th round by the Boston Patriots (later renamed the New England Patriots) in the 1965 AFL Draft.

Nance, who played for the Patriots from 1965-71, led the AFL and earned league MVP honors after setting a franchise record with 1,458 yards in 1966, his second with the Patriots. In the 10-year history of the AFL, Nance was the only player to eclipse the 1,400-yard plateau and his 104.1-yard rushing average per game that season was still a franchise record when he was inducted posthumously into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2009.

Nance was voted to the AFL All-Star game in 1966 and again in 1967 after leading all AFL and NFL rushers each year. It is the only time a Patriots back has led the league in rushing in back-to-back seasons. He also earned the distinction of being the only AFL player to rush for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He was traded by the Patriots to the Philadelphia Eagles in 1972, but left New England as the franchise's all-time leading rusher in nearly every statistical category. His 45 career rushing touchdowns were a franchise record when he was inducted in 2009.

In 1966, Nance was the first Patriot to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. The photo captured his 65-yard touchdown run against the Buffalo Bills in the Patriots' 14-3 victory. The game was billed as "The Game of the Year" in 1966.

Nance was a powerful runner. Yet, he also had five career runs from scrimmage of 50 yards or more, including three touchdowns. He rushed 299 times in 14 games in 1966, including a game against the Oakland Raiders that he carried 38 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-21 win. His single-season rushing attempts record was broken 31 years later by Curtis Martin, but remains second all-time, and his 208 yards rushing remains second only to Tony Collins' 212 in 1983.

In addition to his tenure in New England, Nance also played in seven games for the New York Jets in 1973 and finished his career by playing his final two seasons in the World Football League (WFL) from 1974-75. He became the WFL's all-time leading rusher with 2,007 yards on 490 carries (4.1 avg), including 15 touchdowns.

Nance was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame posthumously in 2009, becoming the 14th player and the first running back to be inducted into the team's hall of fame.