Dan Lanning once shared hilarious story behind unique tattoo of his wife’s portrait: “I thought I was gonna walk out of there with a set of b**bs”
The Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning married Sauphia Lanning in 2009 after dating her for a couple of years. The marriage has endured for over a decade, and in 2021, as a heartfelt gesture, he had his wife's portrait tattooed on his rib cage.
Dan Lanning appeared on “Snaps” and gave hilarious details about his unique tattoo. He first recounted the story of how he met his wife at a restaurant when she was a student at Northwest Missouri State University.
“I was her server for her 18th birthday…I picked up the tab, you know, that’s where it all started.”
Dan Lanning talked about his experience of getting inked.
“They asked if I wanted the numbing cream and stuff before. I was like, ‘no, I don’t need that.’ Started kind of at the bottom. I thought I was going to walk out of there with like a set of b**bs.”
The tattoo also included the symbols of all the colleges he’s worked at and it also included the names of his children: Caden, Kniles, and Titan.
Sauphia's cancer diagnosis reshaped Dan Lanning's life
When Lanning attended his first press conference as the head coach of Oregon, he recounted their initial encounter and shared how Sauphia had been a steadfast source of support throughout the years together.
“It’s crazy to think that our journey together started about 16 years ago at Outback Steakhouse. I was a server and she was a to-go girl. And next thing you know, we’re sitting here in Oregon. But I love you, I admire your strength and I thank you,” Lanning said.
Sauphia was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2016, a rare and aggressive type of bone cancer that impacts less than 20,000 people in the U.S. annually. Doctors found a tumor in her leg that was the size of a gold ball.
Dan Lanning talked about the painful incident when he was in Memphis. He said that the tragic experience reshaped his life and changed his perspective.
"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."
In 2017, Sauphia was declared cancer-free after undergoing regular chemotherapy. Throughout this challenging time, Dan stood by his wife, prioritizing their family's well-being.