Jim Cromleigh graduated from Berlin High in 1971. He was a four year starter on the football team playing for coach Joe Nuccio and Dave Matthews. He was both an offensive and defensive tackle and also handled kick offs, PATS, and field goals. He was captain his senior year and All-Conference three years. In his senior year he was an honorable mention All-State selection.

In 1973 while at Mattatuck Community College he was a 1st Team Junior College All-American as a tackle. In 1974 his team won the National Junior College Championship and he was 1st Team All-Conference, again as a tackle. In 1975 he received a scholarship to Tulane University during the spring semester. However in 1976 Kansas State University offered him a scholarship where he became the starting guard on that Big Eight team also starting in 1977. He became the first Berlin football player to play Division I college football.

Jim graduated from Kansas State in 1979 with a B.S. in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management. From 1979-1985 he was a Park Ranger- Resource Management/Law Enforcement for the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service at Kings Mountain National Military Park in South Carolina. From 1985-2008 he was a Special Agent for the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service in Fort Worth Texas, Tucson Arizona, Tulsa Oklahoma, and Brunswick Georgia, retiring in 2008.

That same year he returned to government service as a Law Enforcement Instructor for firearms with U.S. Department of Homeland Security at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick Georgia. Jim retired in 2012 and resides in a suburb of Austin Texas with his wife Janis. They have a daughter Hope Millwood who lives with her husband Kevin and grandson Tyler in South Carolina. Tyler plays football and basketball at Thomas Sumter Academy in Sumter South Carolina.

In his spare time Jim enjoys traveling with his wife, golfing, and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.