Mike Sanders was all but done with football.

In 1980, after concluding his career as a two-way player at Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz., Sanders opted to look for a full-time job rather than go directly to college.

"I didn't think I wanted to go to school," said the 44-year-old Thousand Oaks head coach. "I was going to work construction and do whatever. I thought about getting into the heavy equipment operators' union, stuff like that."

While working at an electronics company in Arizona, Sanders ran into his high school lifting partner, Jeff Heidrick. Sanders got Heidrick a job at his company and the two soon began lifting weights together again.

"Next thing I know, he says, 'I've got to find a place to play football. Do you want to go?'" Sanders said. "So we jumped into my '63 Ford Econoline van and he had appointments set up in Sacramento, Northridge and Redlands.

"He ended up picking Redlands, and while we were there the coaches said to me, 'Hey, what's your story? Do you want to come play football?'" Sanders said. "I was like, 'Hey, it sure beats working for a living.'"

Mike Sanders Sanders became a four-year starter for the University of Redlands football squad-a Division III program-and was named team captain during his senior season. He didn't have a scholarship, just financial aid, and he worked as a baseball and football coach throughout the years to help pay for his education.

"I even became the hitting instructor for awhile," he said.

Sanders said getting his body prepared for the physical rigors of football was the most difficult part about returning to the field after taking several years off after high school.

"I can remember climbing up the stairs to the dorm rooms that first week of double days as a 23year-old thinking to myself, 'What am I doing here?'" Sanders said.

He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1988 and a master's in education counseling three years later.

After finishing at Redlands, Sanders landed a job at Damien High School in LaVerne, where he taught history and again coached football and baseball.

From Damien, Sanders moved to Whittier College and served as defensive coordinator for one season before accepting a position as head football coach and athletic director at Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance.

Sanders coached at Bishop Montgomery for three years. From there he relocated to St. Francis Catholic School, where he worked as offensive coordinator for current Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell.

In February 2000, Sanders was hired by Thousand Oaks to take over the varsity head coaching job from Mike Kelly.

Sanders credits Redell for helping him land the position at TOHS.

"He was a major player in helping me get the Thousand Oaks job," Sanders said. "I know he made some phone calls and talked to the athletic director at the time. He was a very credible resource for me in helping me get the position."

The timing couldn't have been better for Sanders to join the Lancers.

At the time, TOHS had an upand-coming quarterback named Ben Olson in its system, and a developing young defensive back/ wide receiver, Dave Anderson.

Following a 5-6 season in 2000, Olson and Anderson led the Lancers to a 9-3 record and the Marmonte League title the next year.

Olson, now at UCLA, would set the school's career passing record with 6,401 yards and was ranked the No. 1 prep recruit in the nation during his senior season.

Anderson attended Colorado State and earlier this year became the first football player in TOHS history to get drafted into the NFL. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the seventh round.

"I was really blessed," Sanders said. "I came into a quality class."

Sanders also married his wife, Teri, in 2001. Teri Sanders is an English teacher at Thousand Oaks, while Mike Sanders works as a counselor in addition to his coaching duties. The couple adopted their firschild, Michael, in 2004. MichaeSanders was born the morning before Thousand Oaks defeated Arroyo Grande in an epic playoff game where current quarterback Ryan Cloney threw for a TOHS single-game record 508 yards.

"It was a weekend I'll never forget," he said.