Wimp Sanderson was born August 8, 1937, Florence, Alabama. He attended Coffee High School and the University of North Alabama. In 1960 he became the graduate assistant at the University of Alabama, and in 1961 he was made a full time assistant. He served in this capacity for 20 years until 1981 when he was named Alabama's head basketball coach. In ten years as head coach his teams averaged 21.8 wins a year, with a 218-100 record, and they won 4 SEC tournaments. They played in one NIT and eight NCAA tournaments making the "Sweet 16" five times. The only coach in Alabama history to win 200 or more games in his first 10 years. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 1990, and was the National Coach of the Year in 1987. He resides in Birmingham, Alabama and works for WJOX morning radio.