Jim Gendron, who was nominated for the Hall of Fame by his brother John, is a graduate of Harry S. Truman High School who also attended Taylor Center High School. A multi-sports performer, Gendron received many awards during his high school career, including:
- Most valuable player in football, 1972.
- Most valuable player and all-league selection in the Great Lakes Eight football conference as well as All-Suburban team member, 1973.
- Most valuable player in basketball, 1973 and 1974.
Gendron went on to Wayne State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He earned all-conference football team recognition in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in a unanimous vote by coaches.
After college, he went on to an outstanding amateur and professional softball career, highlighted by his 1996 induction into the Michigan USSSA Hall of Fame.