[1] He attended James B. Dudley High School in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he played for the football, basketball, and baseball teams.

[4] The Lions selected Sanders in the third round of the 1968 NFL draft, and he became their starting tight end for the next ten seasons.

[5][8] Sanders was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team as selected by voters of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

[5] Sanders also worked in the team's community relations department and served as a spokesman for the United Way and The March of Dimes.

He created The Charlie Sanders Foundation in 2007, which provided two college scholarships per year for students from Oakland County, Monroe, Michigan, and his home state of North Carolina.

In August 2012, the first "Charlie Sanders Have A Heart Save A Life Celebrity Golf Outing was held in West Bloomfield, Michigan.