Dan Lanning discusses role as a coach, teacher

There’s a lot of hats coaches have to wear throughout the season. They’re a coach at times, a recruiter at others, and everything else in between that comes with coaching at the college level. For new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, he is adding the role of teacher to his resume.

One reporter asked Lanning about some of the teachings he’s calling back to when working with his players during media earlier this week. As the son of teachers, he thinks it is his responsibility to himself, to his players, and to Oregon to learn and teach every day.

“Ultimately, for me, I grew up and both my parents were teachers. I’m always looking to become better,” said Lanning. “I feel like you can become stagnant as a coach. If you aren’t looking to learn then you’re missing out when there’s an opportunity for improvement.”

A lot of what he’s pulling from is old books he learned lessons from back in the day. He believes it’s helping him grow and, in turn, can help his Oregon players grow. He wants to see some of these lessons translate to his team on the field heading into his first season.

“There’s a lot of books that I think you can get a lot out of,” Lanning said. “That you can grab something from, carry it over and hopefully it translates to our players.”

If Dan Lanning is wanting to plant some pillars down in his program, there are worse options than proven teachings he learned previously. It’s beneficial for both coaches and players to continue to have a curious mind throughout their careers. It may be early, but this could pay dividends for Oregon down the road. Lanning is establishing his culture early is doing it in a way that his parents are surely proud of.