A standout in football and track and field at Watertown High School, Jim Jerome went on to experience a short career in the National Football League.

Jerome, a 1972 graduate of WHS, set a Section 3 record in the 180-yard low hurdles, clocking 19.8 seconds. Football, though, was Jerome's priority, and he spent three years as a starter at defensive end for Syracuse University.

Though SU went just 10-23 over those three seasons, Jerome spent time under the tutelage of one of the school's football legends: Ben Schwartzwalder. Jerome's first season as a starter, 1973, was Schwartzwalder's last on the sidelines as head coach for Syracuse. Frank Maloney took over the program in 1974 and coached Jerome for two seasons.

After leaving Syracuse, Jerome hooked up with the New England Patriots for preseason action in 1976 and 1977. Though he never played in a regular-season game for the Patriots, Jerome eventually worked his way onto the field for another team, closing out the 1977 NFL campaign as a linebacker and special-teamer for the New York Jets.

Jerome left his NFL career behind in 1978, accepting a position as a physical education teacher in Baldwinsville.

Jerome, also a former Watertown Red and Black player who was named to the Minor League All-American team by Pro Football Weekly after the Red and Black's 1976 season, serves on the board of directors for the SU Football Letterman's Club. Jerome lives with his wife, Susan, in Syracuse, and has two daughters, Katy and Jenni.