As a native of Mechanicsville, Virginia, Bunch played offensive guard for Lee Davis High School football team as a youth.
[2] Bunch remained as a fixture in the Crimson Tide offensive line over the next three seasons alongside Buddy Aydelette, Vince Boothe, Mike Brock and Dwight Stephenson and helped lead Alabama to an overall record of 43 wins and 5 losses (43–5) during his career at the Capstone.
[3][4][5] In recognition of his accomplishments as a student athlete, the Virginia state legislature passed a resolution that declared February 2, 1980, as "Jim Bunch Day.
[6] After the completion of his playing career, Bunch returned to Alabama where he served as a graduate assistant on Bear Bryant's staff for the 1980 season.
[2] Bunch was an innkeeper at the Winston Place, a bed and breakfast in Valley Head, Alabama along with his wife Leslie until July 2022 when the property was sold.