Gamecock great Rick Sanford retiring from SportsTalk show, broadcasting
Rick Sanford played seven seasons in the National Football League before retiring in 1985. The University of South Carolina All-American, who starred for the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, later spent 27 years as a chiropractor before giving that up, too.
Through it all, the Rock Hill native always enjoyed sharing his thoughts and insights on sports. Now, he says it’s time to put much of that in his past as well.
Sanford, 63, announced Friday on the statewide SportsTalk radio show, which he has co-hosted the past year with Phil Kornblut and Matt Smith, that he is retiring from sports broadcasting. He said he has been diagnosed with a neurocognitive disorder associated with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) that makes continuing his on-air duties all but impossible.
“I struggle with keeping my train of thought, finding the right words, and remembering how to do things,” Sanford told listeners during the 6 to 8 p.m. broadcast. “My fuse has gotten shorter and my filter has lessened. … This is a progressive condition and the time has now come for me to step away from the (microphone).
“I’m thankful for a good team of doctors who are helping me through this challenge. … I’m talking about this publicly with the hope of building awareness and understanding of CTE and the effects it has on the person diagnosed as well on their family. I hope (listeners will) read about CTE and understand the risks that come with football.”
Sanford is not the first former NFL player with South Carolina ties to deal with CTE and head-injury-related issues. The late Alex Hawkins, who played for the Gamecocks and several NFL teams starting in the 1960s, suffered with dementia before dying in September 2017.
Former S.C. State All-American Harry Carson, an NFL Hall of Famer for the New York Giants, also has gone public about his neurological struggles in recent years.
“I really can’t fulfill the duties of my job anymore,” Sanford said prior to his farewell show. “After numerous concussions in football, I’m just having difficulties. Maybe three years ago, I started noticing changes in my memory; I had some speech difficulties, and sometimes episodes where I couldn’t express something.
“CTE is a disease that a lot of people don’t understand. It affects many parts of your life. It’s a difficult thing to deal with.”
Sanford has been a regular voice in the Midlands radio market for more than 20 years, starting when he, Kornblut and Teddy Heffner teamed up on a pregame show during USC football seasons. He and Heffner co-hosted “Talking Sports” on SportsRadio 1400 The Team and on WGCV-FM for more than 10 years.
Sanford departed Heffner’s morning show last March to join SportsTalk’s syndicated startup, saying at the time he wanted to go to a show with a statewide market.
“Rick called (after the previous SportsTalk show was canceled by Learfield Communications) and said, ‘What’re you doing? I’d love to be a part of it,’” Kornblut said. “I’ve always had multiple hosts over the years, and Rick brought name recognition, which we played up heavily.”
Kornblut said he even fashioned the show’s call-in number — (888) 898-2525 — in honor of Sanford’s No. 25 uniform.
“His knowledge, especially of football, was invaluable, as was his credibility at knowing the game,” Kornblut said. “His insights on USC and Clemson were all positives, and you always got his opinions, which is what we wanted. He’s no shrinking violet.”
Sanford also hosted a weekly football podcast, “Safety Blitz,” on Kornblut’s website. It was uncertain whether he would continue that.
Sanford said sports broadcasting gave him the opportunity to stay close to the events and people he loved, including Gamecocks and Clemson football and current coaches such as USC’s Will Muschamp.
“I had an opportunity to get to know him; (I was) much closer as a former player (and) I think he came to trust me,” Sanford said.
Other sports figures who Sanford mentioned included former USC and Clemson assistant coach Ellis Johnson, Tigers baseball coach Monte Lee, USC’s athletics director (and former baseball coach) Ray Tanner, and Clyde Wrenn, a former assistant at both schools who recruited Sanford for the Tigers in the early 1970s.
“When Clyde came to USC, we reconnected and I always had a great relationship with him,” Sanford said. “His (charitable fund-raising) events were highlights every year,” as were annual “Carolina-Clemson Marathons” with Heffner, aired from remote locations on the Friday before the big game.
Sanford thanked Kornblut and Smith for their relationship this past year. In the future, he said he hopes to “help anyone (dealing with CTE-related problems) in any way I could.
“This is something real; it affects the individual and those around the individual. I’d like more people to understand that.”