Sandau, began his career in wrestling in 1961, wrestled at Valley High School and at Colorado State College (now UNC). His activity as a wrestler came to end in 1967 due to a severely damaged knee. He became an official in 1968 and his career has been quite rewarding as a member of the Colorado Wrestling Officials Association. He has officiated in 25 state tournaments within each of the states classifications, including selection as a state championship night official 19 of those years. He has also been selected to evaluate officials in several NCAA tournaments. Since retiring as an active official, he has worked as a timer and scorer for several tournaments including league, region and the Colorado state wrestling tournament. He has not missed a state wrestling tournament in Colorado since 1972. He has served as the Wrestling Officials Commissioner for three leagues, was the President of the CWOA, has been a member of the CWOA Executive Committee for six years and has been presented with several awards by the state's league and coaching associations.