“You're on your knees every night”: Oregon HC Dan Lanning recalls challenging times during wife Sauphia’s cancer diagnosis

Dan Lanning's college football coaching career was beginning to get right on track after he was hired as a linebackers coach at Memphis under Mike Norvell in December 2015. Then, he had to deal with one of the most challenging periods in his lifetime.

He was on a coaching retreat when his wife, Sauphia, called and informed him that she'd been diagnosed with cancer. She had osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer. A tumor was found in her knee, which needed to be removed through surgery. However, this was preceded by months of chemotherapy.

He narrated the experience to ESPN in an October interview.

“I just kept trying to envision what my life and our kids’ life looked like without Sauphia and just knew that wasn't an option for us,” Lanning said (Timestamp: 2:36). "Made you grow in your faith, you're on your knees every night praying.”

Despite the challenges faced by the family when Sauphia started her cancer treatment, Lanning recognized the fact that he had to be there for his wife through it all. This was made much easier by Mike Norvell, who gave him a lot of time off his job at Memphis to be with the family.

“She was a fighter from Day 1,” Lanning said (Timestamp: 3:23). “There were days that were not great, they were really hard. I felt like it was always my job to try to put a smile on her face."

In May 2017, Sauphia Lanning became cancer-free. It was a pivotal moment in their life together as it marked the end of the life-threatening challenges. They celebrated with the Memphis coaching staff, who were close to their family.

Dan Lanning knew he needed to be a role model

It was a challenging time for Dan Lanning when his wife had cancer. However, he knew his actions in those moments were being watched by his players and he had to be the best he could be. That was crucial in getting him through it.

“I realized that I'm not going to be able to teach players how to be great fathers and husbands if I can't be a great example for them,” Lanning said (Timestamp: 5:04). “And probably at that point, I wasn't.

“The minute you realize you're about to lose something more important than football, it changed my focus. And that was the moment that reset my life where family came first.”

Since then, Dan Lanning's coaching career has witnessed significant progress. After Memphis, he was hired as defensive coordinator at Georgia by Kirby Smart before taking the Oregon head coaching job. In Eugene, he's established himself as one of the best in college football.