"Reshaped my entire why" - Oregon HC Dan Lanning once shared how wife Sauphia's cancer diagnosis changed his life

The Oregon Ducks under the stewardship of coach Dan Lanning have more than fulfilled preseason expectations and are currently ranked No. 1 in both the AP Weekly Top 25 rankings and the college football playoff's weekly rankings. The unbeaten Ducks have also booked their place in the Big Ten championship game in their inaugural season in the conference.

When he was hired by Oregon in 2022, Lanning gave a speech about why he does what he does and how his perspective on life changed after his wife, Sauphia Lanning, was diagnosed with cancer.

Sauphia was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2016 but was declared cancer-free in 2017.

"Early in my career, I always wanted to coach at the highest level of football. I feel really blessed and fortunate to be here, but I really just love the game," Dan Lanning said. "I love football to another level, and my 'why' really shifted back when I got to Memphis. Everything up to that point was really about advancing my career, moving up and looking for the next opportunity to go coach the best of the best.

"Once I got to Memphis, my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and it really reshaped my entire 'why.' Now, I want to be a guy that helps people. We are not here just to have championship football players, we are here to create championship fathers, championship husbands. How do you do that? You model it every day."

Dan Lanning and his family paid tribute to cancer survivors

Even after Sauphia Lanning was declared cancer-free in 2017, Dan Lanning and his wife have continued to champion the cause and support survivors of the condition. In Week 6 of college football action, the Oregon Ducks put a special twist to their usually-creative uniforms which were designed by the Lanning family.

The players' shoes had a collage of colors to represent different forms of cancer, while the "O" logo on their uniforms was twisted to raise awareness of cancer and pay tribute to cancer survivors.

Dan revealed in a clip posted on Oregon's Instagram account that Nike reached out to him and his family to work on the idea when he was appointed the Ducks coach in 2022.

Even as the Ducks have continued to find success on the field, Dan Lanning and his wife continue to champion the fight against cancer using their positions to spread awareness.