A native of Idaho Falls, Ed Jacoby was a multi-purpose track and field athlete during high school and college. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Idaho in 1962 and a master's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1967. He was a coach at Coeur d'Alene High School (1962-1964), Idaho Falls High School (1964-1966), and Skyline High School in Idaho Falls (1966-1969). He then was the head track coach and physical education department chairman at the College of the Canyon's in California.

In 1973, Jacoby became the track and field coach at Boise State University, a position he held until 1996. He led teams to nine league crowns. He received the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year ten times and NCAA District Coach of the Year three times. Ten different athletes earned 25 NCAA All-American awards under his guidance. Jacoby's son, Jake, was the Boise State's first track and field National Champion, winning the high jump at the 1984 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Eugene Greene was the second NCAA Champion, winning the 1991 indoor triple jump crown.

Ed was an active member of Track and Field USA and the United States Olympic Committee. In 1986, he was the men's head track and field coach for the West squat at the U.S. Olympic Festival, and an assistant coach for the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England. He was an assistant coach for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, including high jump, pole vault, and javelin. In 1993 he was the head coach of the men's national team for the World Track and Field Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. Of the 76 nations competing, Jacoby's team won a total of 15 medals including eight gold - the most of any country.

During the 1999-2000 track and field seasons, Jacoby coached the jumpters at Northern Arizona University. Also at Northern Arizona, he coached jumpers, hurdlers, and sprinters from 2010-2013. During those three years, he coached 17 conference champions and three All-Americans. Over his entire career, he coached 28 All-Americans.

Entering the business world, Ed served as Executive Director of Team Tartan. For six years, he promoted and managed a group of coaches, administrators, and salespersons who represented Tartan Tracks, a polyurethane running surface.

Jacoby also authored three books, translated into multiple languages: "Applied Techniques in Track and Field" (1983); "The Complete Book of Jumps" (1995), which Track and Field News called the best book ever written on jumping events; and "Winning Jumps and Pole Vault" (2009).

After retiring from Boise State in 1996, Jacoby and his wife, Jean, built a log home on the South Fork of the Clearwater River at Harpster, Idaho. Married since 1958, they have 3 children, Jake, Lorrie Jacoby Torrey, and Karla Jacoby Childs, seven grandchildren, and one great granddaughter.