At the University of Houston, Routt excelled in indoor track and outdoor track as well as football. Routt eventually returned to University of Houston where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sports administration in 2011.
Track and field
Stanford Routt earned NCAA Outdoor All-America honors after placing third in the 200 meters at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track Meet. Routt was named the Indoor Track Athlete of the Year by Conference USA in 2004 after winning the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. Those wins eventually qualified Routt to compete in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Routt is a two-time champion in the 200 meters at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
Personal bests
Professional career
2005 NFL Draft
At the 2005 NFL Scouting Combine, Routt ran the fastest 40-yard dash at a time of 4.27 seconds, the fastest time since the NFL used electronic timing. His record was broken by running back Chris Johnson with a time of 4.24 seconds in 2008.
Oakland Raiders
Routt was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. After limited action the first two weeks of the 2007 season due to a knee injury, Routt started the remainder of the season as the second cornerback alongside Nnamdi Asomugha. Routt re-entered the starting lineup in 2010 after being tendered at the highest level by the Raiders as a restricted free agent in the offseason. He had his best statistical year to date with 55 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, 15 pass deflections, one forced fumble, two interceptions, and one touchdown. In week 17, Routt recorded his second interception on the season for his first career touchdown. He had the second-lowest "burn rate" of all cornerbacks in 2010, with only 39.4% of passes completed that were thrown to receivers he covered. The Raiders re-signed Routt to a three-year, $31.5 million contract on February 24, 2011, to remain in Oakland. The contract included a guaranteed $20 million over the first two years. Routt agreed to restructure his contract to aid the team's salary cap on August 4. Following the 2011 season in which Routt started 15 games and recorded four interceptions, the Raiders released him on February 9, 2012.
Kansas City Chiefs
Routt signed a three-year, $19.6 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on February 20, 2012. On November 5, 2012, Routt was released by the Chiefs.
Houston Texans
On December 4, 2012, Routt had a workout with the Houston Texans. Routt signed with the team on the same day.