While running for
Pasadena High School, Sanford won the
400 metres, anchored his team to victory in the
4 × 400 metres relay and was second in the 200 metres (a race brother Michael was to win the next two years) at the 1977
CIF California State Meet. After high school, he moved on to the
University of Southern California. Here he enjoyed great track success over the next four years. Sanford still holds the school records in the 100 metres and 200 metres - a statement all the more impressive considering some of the people who have been through the program including Olympic sprint Gold Medalists
Lennox Miller,
Don Quarrie,
Mel Patton and
Quincy Watts. Along with brother Michael he also is on the school record holding
4 × 100 metres relay team. Sanford originally considered himself a 200/400 metres runner and it was only in 1978 that he started to concentrate on the 100 meters. This change resulted in winning the British
AAA Championships title at the
1978 AAA Championships. In 1979, wins came in the
NCAA championships and
US National Championships 100 meters events. The win in the national championships qualified Sanford for the USA team at the
1979 IAAF World Cup where he became champion at 100 metres. Sanford picked up a muscle injury in a race in Berlin seven days earlier and was a doubt to run (
Harvey Glance was to be his substitute). It was also suggested that he anchor the United States 4 × 100 m relay team but in the end United States team coach, Sam Bell, favoured the experience of
Steve Riddick. Sanford was considered the favorite in the lead-up to the
1980 Summer Olympics boycott-marred
United States Olympic Trials (track and field). However, he suffered an early-season defeat by a young
Carl Lewis, then finished third in the 100 metres at the NCAA championships before finally injuring himself in the 200 metres there, ending his season. (He also did not qualify for the 1984 Olympics, only finishing 5th in his semi-final of the 100 m.) On May 11, 1980 at a meet in
Westwood, Los Angeles, California, Sanford set the unofficial low altitude world record in the
100 metres at 10.02 s, a mark which stood for just over a year, when it was improved by
Carl Lewis to 10.00 s. In 1981 he set the world's best year performance in the men's
200 metres clocking 20.20 s on 10 May at a meet in Westwood, Los Angeles. == Rankings ==