Typically, it’s Pat McAfee who steals the show on College GameDay but, on Saturday morning, it was Oregon head coach Dan Lanning who had fans talking.
McAfee was in town ahead of the Ducks game against the Indiana Hoosiers and linked up with Lanning during a segment in their three-hour pregame show.
During the program, Lanning was tasked with firing up the Oregon crowd and joined McAfee on stage as they lead a series of chants, at around 6:45am.
However, it didn’t stop there. McAfee removed his shirt and Lanning quickly followed suit, much to the delight of the crowd in attendance.
The incident swiftly went viral on social media and eagle-eyed fans were quick to note a huge tattoo of his wife, Sauphia, which Lanning had on his chest.
However, once the tattoo went viral, fans also pointed out a touching aspect to it.
Dan Lanning stole the show as he whipped his top off at 6:45am to hype up the Oregon crowd
Fans were quick to note a huge tattoo of his wife which Lanning had on the side of his chest
Lanning’s wife, who he married in 2009 and shares three children with, had been diagnosed with Osteosarcoma about a decade ago.
And, on the tattoo, a yellow ribbon is noticeable as a symbol of her inspiring battle.
Previously, discussing her cancer journey, he said: ‘She was a fighter from day one. There were days that were not great.
‘There were days that were really hard. I felt like it was always my job to put a smile on her face. I sat in a wheelchair. And he would push me around the hospital. And he would sing to me.’
Lanning previously made headlines last month after he gave a powerful speech on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, insisting America can learn a lot from his team.
Lanning, 39, offered his condolences to Kirk’s wife Erika and their two children after the Ducks’ 34-14 win over Northwestern.
The tattoo, a yellow ribbon is noticeable as a symbol of her inspiring battle.
Lanning married his wife Sauphia back in 2009 and the couple now have three children
Lanning and wife, Sauphia, are frequently seen at local sporting events in Eugene, Oregon
But he then explained how America ‘can learn a lot’ from the culture he’s helped build inside the Oregon locker room. Lanning also revealed he’d recently learned that Kirk was a fan of his team.
He said: ‘You walk in that locker room, you’ve got guys of different races, guys of different backgrounds, different religions, and you got a team that loves each other.
‘Tons of differences. Where they come from, what they deal with, and ultimately you’ve got a team that loves each other, and I think we’re missing some of that in our country.’
Lanning, a vocal critic of gun violence, then called Kirk’s assassination ‘evil’ that ‘should never exist’ in America.
