Who is Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning’s wife? All about Saufia Lanning

Dan Lanning will be cheering him on as his wife, Saufia Lanning, coaches the Oregon Ducks in the Peach Bowl CFP semifinals on January 9th.

The football coach, who will lead the Ducks at the University of Oregon starting in 2022, first met Saufia in 2005 when he was playing college football at Missouri State and they both worked at the same steakhouse. Four years later, they married and had three sons: Kayden, Niles, and Titan.

Saufia has supported Dan throughout her coaching career, and Dan has supported her over the years, including when Dan was diagnosed with cancer in 2016.

In 2023, Dan paid tribute to his wife by getting her portrait tattooed on his ribcage. The ink also includes the names of their two sons, the area code of their hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, the boomerang from Outback Steakhouse where they first met, and a yellow ribbon commemorating Saufia’s battle with cancer.

Dan also talked about how important it is to him to be a good husband to Saufia. “I realized that if I couldn’t be a great role model for my players, I wouldn’t be able to teach them how to be great fathers and husbands,” Dunn said on College GameDay 2024.

So, who is Dan Lanning’s wife? Here’s everything you need to know about Saufia Lanning’s relationship with her football coach.

Saufia grew up in Missouri.

Saufia was born in Kansas City in 1987 and later attended North Kansas City High School. After graduation, she studied for a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations at Northwest Missouri State University from 2005 to 2009, according to her LinkedIn profile.

While in school, Saufia worked on KNWT TV, the university’s student-run television station, as well as a local magazine. She also served as a resident assistant from 2007 to 2009.

Dan and Sophia first met in 2005

Dan and Sophia met in 2005 at a steakhouse in Liberty, Missouri. At the time, Dan was playing college football at William Jewell University and she was studying at Northwest Missouri State University.

“I want to thank my beloved wife, Saufia. It’s hard to understand the sacrifices that families make in the coaching world, and Saufia has been our head coach for a long time in our family and has worn many hats,” Dunn said in a 2021 press conference.

“She’s done so many important things to show support for our family. It’s crazy to think that our journey started about 16 years ago at Outback Steakhouse. I was a server and she was the go-to girl. And before you know it, we’re sitting here in Oregon. But I love you, I admire your strength, and I’m grateful,” he said.

Logan Minnick, a childhood friend of Dan’s, told The Oregonian in 2022, “It was clear that she would come down from Maryville and get there, but we would never see Dan again until she left. That’s when we knew he was in love.”

Dan and Sophia married in 2009

According to The Oregonian, Saufia married Dan on October 17, 2009 in Richmond, Missouri. The day before their wedding, the couple went to a school football game rather than a rehearsal dinner.

Dan celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in 2021 by posting two photos of the couple and their three children on Instagram. In it, he called Saufia his “beautiful wife.”

Saufia has three children with Dan.

Dan and Saufia have three sons: Kayden, Niles, and Titan.

The couple often takes photos with their children and celebrates Dan’s career together. Back in 2018, Saufia and her sons surprised Dan by spending an extra day with him in Georgia.

“My wife and boys surprised me with an extra day of walking around Athens, so we’re chomping at our favorite spots!” Dan wrote in the post.

Safia works in marketing

According to Saufia’s LinkedIn profile, she has been working as a marketing coordinator at H&R Block since 2014. She said her areas of expertise include media planning, photography, marketing communications, marketing strategy and research, advertising campaigns, and graphic design.

Previously, she worked as an associate teacher in the Park Hill School District in Missouri from 2009 to 2010.

Dan supported Saufia as she beat cancer

Saufia was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in 2016 and underwent her final treatment in 2017.

She told The Commercial Appeal, “I’m not really a ‘let’s celebrate’ type of person…I wanted everyone to be there and witness their love and blessings and all their prayers (fulfilled). To me, it signifies God’s love for us and what the power of prayer is and what everyone’s love can do for us. It’s really amazing.”

In October 2024, Dunn, who put his career aside to support her, spoke to Sports Illustrated about the impact his wife’s cancer has had.

“We’re all really ambitious, but sometimes we don’t have enough patience to realize how blessed we are to be where we are. I’ve learned to truly enjoy my blessings,” he said. “Enjoy the experience, wherever you are, and know that you can have an impact on those around you and those who influence you. It’s really rewarding.”

Safia contributed to Dan’s team uniform.

The Oregon Ducks wear uniforms designed by Saufia and her children that represent different forms of cancer.

Dunn said at a news conference that Nike approached him and Saufia about creating uniforms. “I know it was really important to my wife that it honor all forms of cancer and those affected by it,” he said.

Saufia has always supported Dan’s career

Dunn told ESPN’s College Gameday that his wife supported him when he was “selfish” early in his career. “Early in my career, I was really, really selfish, and I think Saufia knew about my dreams and aspirations, but I guess they were just my dreams and aspirations, and she was like helping me pursue them.”

Saufia doesn’t have a big social media presence and keeps her Instagram account private, but she often posts about her husband to X and reshared posts from the Oregon Ducks.

In February 2024, she posted a photo of herself with Dan and their children on game night with the caption, “When I’m with you, I love you more. Thank you for always and forever being surrounded by love.”