James Sanford (born December 27, 1957) is a retired track and field sprinter from the United States. He was champion at the 100 metres at the 1979 IAAF Athletics World Cup in Montreal. He also held the best time for the 100 metres at a low altitude for one year, a time of 10.02 seconds, until Carl Lewis improved this record to 10.00 seconds in May 1981.