Winfrey "Wimp" Sanderson (born August 8, 1937)[1] is a retired American college basketball coach.
When Newton resigned to become assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Sanderson was named his successor.
His father, who worked for an auto parts company, died when he was six, and Sanderson, an only child, shared an apartment with his mother, Christine, a secretary for the Veterans Administration.
He transferred home to Florence State (now the University of North Alabama) and continued his hoops career while graduating in physical education.
'"[3] Sanderson played his freshman season of college basketball at Abilene Christian before transferring back to Florence State.
In 1963, as Governor George Wallace stood at the schoolhouse door, Sanderson, an assistant coach without political convictions, watched from a window in a building across the street, unaware he was privy to history.
Newton became the first Southeastern Conference coach to heavily recruit African-Americans (Vanderbilt's Perry Wallace was the first African-American to play in the conference, in 1967-68), Sanderson was pounding the recruiting trail, helping to lure players like future All-American Wendell Hudson to Tuscaloosa.
Enticing Robert Horry, Derrick McKey and Latrell Sprewell to football-mad Tuscaloosa was considered remarkable.
In addition to Sprewell, Horry and McKey, eight other players recruited when Sanderson was head coach made it to the NBA, including James Robinson and David Benoit.
[3] Sanderson resigned from Alabama on May 18, 1992, days after Nancy Watts, his longtime secretary, filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit against him and the university with the US Equal Opportunity Commission.
Sanderson said Watts had become hysterical and that, in an effort to defend himself, he extended his hand and she collided with it, resulting in the injury.
More than a year later, Watts' lawsuit against Sanderson, the university and then-athletic director Hootie Ingram, was settled out of court, days before it was scheduled to go to trial.
[5] Mark Gottfried, a former player under Sanderson, followed Hobbs and coached for 10-1/2 seasons before he resigned[6] on January 26, 2009.