He also held the best time for the 100 metres at a low altitude for one year, a time of 10.02 seconds, until Carl Lewis improved this record to 10.00 seconds in May 1981.
Career
While running for Pasadena High School, Sanford won the 400 metres, anchored his team to victory in the 4x400 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.[2] 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 4x100 metres relay team.
Sanford originally considered himself a 200/400 metres runner and it was only in 1979 that he started to concentrate on the 100 meters. This change resulted in wins that year in the NCAA championships and US National Championships 100 meters events.[3][4]
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.[5] 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.[6]
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.[7] (He also did not qualify for the 1984 Olympics, only finishing 5th in his semi-final of the 100 m.)
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.[11][12]
Rankings
Sanford was ranked among the best in the US and the world in both the 100 and 200 m sprint events from 1978 to 1981, according to the votes of the experts of Track and Field News.[13][14][15][16]
100 meters
Year
World rank
US rank
1978
-
8th
1979
1st
1st
1980
4th
2nd
1981
4th
3rd
200 meters
Year
World rank
US rank
1978
9th
4th
1979
6th
2nd
1980
8th
4th
1981
3rd
2nd
USA Championships
Sanford was a very successful competitor in the USA National Track and Field Championships between 1978 and 1981:[3]
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-02-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) World Record Progression. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
^E L Quercetani & G Pallicca, A World History of Sprint Racing 1850-2005, p 311