John Sanderson, a native of Waynesville, North Carolina, was introduced to wrestling by Coach Art Boger, who initiated the Tuscola High School program in 1966. He graduated from Tuscola in 1968 and then enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sanderson walked on to the Tarheel team for one season in 1968-69, wrestling under Coach Sam Barnes.

In 1972, Sanderson graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a degree in Political Science. His 47-year wrestling career began at Cary Junior High, where he coached from 1972 to 1974. He then moved to Cary High School, where he coached from 1975 to 1981. His Cary High teams achieved six consecutive Conference titles and four Sectional championships. Coach Sanderson's Cary team won the 1977 NCHSAA State Championship when there was only one classification in North Carolina. He was named NC Mat News Coach of the Year in 1977. Sanderson’s dual meet record at Cary was 73-5, and he coached 30 state medalists, including six state champions.

In 1981, Sanderson returned to Waynesville, coaching at Tuscola High until 1985. He then transitioned into administration, serving as an Assistant Principal and Principal in Haywood County for over 30 years. He was named the Haywood County Principal of the Year in 2008. Sanderson continued coaching in various head and assistant roles at Pisgah High School (1990-94; 1999-2001), Waynesville Middle (1995-99), Bethel Middle (2005), Tuscola High (2016), and Canton Middle (2008-16, 2017-20). Additionally, he officiated wrestling for 24 years and was selected to call the NCHSAA State Tournament multiple times. Sanderson has been inducted into the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (2011) and the Cary High School Athletics Hall of Fame (2015).