As a child, future NFL defensive lineman William “Bill” Sandifer and his two older brothers were relocated to the North County when their father was assigned to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Bill would eventually go on to complete his entire K-12 education as a student in the Oceanside Unified School District. A standout football player, Bill was a three-sport athlete who also competed in varsity basketball and track for the Pirates. During his senior year, in the annual football battle with Carlsbad High School, he received the Defensive Player of the Game award presented by the American GI Forum. Upon his graduation in 1970, he moved on to play two seasons at MiraCosta College, where he was named a Desert Conference JC All American. With numerous football scholarship opportunities, Bill selected UCLA at which to pursue his path of higher education and play football for the Bruins. In 1973, he wrapped up his collegiate gridiron career as the Defensive Player of the Game in the annual East-West Shrine Game. The following spring, the San Francisco 49’ers selected him as the 10th overall pick in the 1974 NFL draft. He spent three seasons in the Bay Area before being traded in 1977 to the newly-formed Seattle Seahawks. After three years with the Seahawks, Bill made the decision to retire from the game due to injuries and the potential for further injury. Never one to revel in the glory and glamour of being a professional athlete, Bill considered it a huge honor to play the game saying, “I’m forever grateful to have been a member of the NFL.” Outside of football, Bill has enjoyed great success in the construction and property management industry. After 22 years of marriage he and his wife Denise, are still on their honeymoon. They are proud parents and step-parents of daughter Heather, and son Matt, who live and work in Southern California.

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