Sanders graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a degree in political science with a minor in communications. He began his television career as a studio floor director at then-ABC affiliate WBRC-TV in Birmingham (now a Fox affiliate) in 1970. He became inspired to go in front of the camera as a news anchor while watching the anchor appear on camera from behind the scenes. His first on-air job was for local radio station WERC radio as a news anchor from 1973 to 1979. During this period, Sanders was honored with numerous journalism awards for his writing and reporting.

Sanders also had a two-year stint as a local helicopter traffic reporter, which nearly cost him his life when the helicopter he flew in crashed near the Birmingham airport in 1976. He had sustained only minor injuries in the accident. He returned to television as a weekend anchor and reporter for NBC affiliate WVTM-TV (channel 13) in 1979.

Sanders is a veteran broadcast journalist, who began his tenure at WGN-TV as a general assignment reporter in 1982. In 1984, Sanders was promoted to being principal anchor of the station's noon newscast, then-known as "Chicago's Midday News" (now part of the "WGN Midday News"). In November 1993, Sanders became the co-anchor of the station's 9 p.m. newscast, anchoring the newscast (mostly) alongside Allison Payne for fifteen years until July 2008, when he returned to being anchor of the station's midday newscast and was re-paired with Allison Payne after anchoring the newscast with Micah Mattere for a few months prior.

During his tenure at WGN-TV, Sanders has won numerous journalism awards. He has won five Regional News Emmys, including one for his investigative reporting in 1991. Sanders also was honored with the American Bar Association's "Silver Gavel Award," as well as awards from the Illinois chapter of the Associated Press and the Chicago Bar Association.

In 1998, Sanders was honored for his writing with an award from the Associated Press for his tribute to late Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko. Since the 1990s, Sanders has also served as an honorary chairman of the annual Tophat Ball, held by Marklund's, which serves the needs of children and adults with disablities.

Sanders is married to Julie Thompson Sanders, whom he met while attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the marriage produced a son Tyler, who was born in 1989.