Sidney E. Koon Jr. earned his bachelor of science degree in Agriculture Science with a major in Vocational Agriculture Education from Colorado A&M College in 1956. Diploma in hand, Koon accepted an agriculture teaching position at McClave High School in 1956. After teaching agriculture for eight years, he returned to the same Fort Collins campus to complete a Masters of Education in Vocational Education. In 1972, he accepted the department head position at Larimer County Vo-Tech. Then, in 1974, he moved into the state office as the assistant supervisor of agricultural education and the Colorado FFA Association executive secretary. By 1975, Koon was the agricultural education supervisor and began serving as advisor for the Colorado FFA and the Colorado Young Farmers Educational Association.