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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Lanning Deals With the Pain
September 29, 2006 | Football
Sept. 29, 2006
By JACK CARLE, Sentinel Sports Editor - It's just a matter of dealing with the pain.
That's John Lanning's philosophy on coping with football-related injuries.
And the fifth-year senior for Bowling Green knows a lot about pain, which has been an almost constant companion during his time with the Falcons.
Currently a starter at left offensive guard, Lanning has had five knee surgeries, including two major operations, while at BG. Three of the operations were on his right knee and two were on his left knee. Currently, he's dealing with a partially torn tendon on the bottom of his left foot and turf toe.
"It's been an uphill battle to say the least," Lanning said about his injuries.
Gregg Brandon, BG's head coach, says Lanning will be "gimpy" for the rest of the season because of all the surgeries.
"That's always going to be a problem for him, especially late in games when his play count gets up there," Brandon said. "He also has turf toe. He takes a shot for that. If somebody steps on the toe, he's out for a few plays."
Still, Brandon appreciates the fact Lanning has battled through the injuries to make a significant contribution to the team which faces Ohio on Saturday, Kickoff is at 2 p.m. in Athens.
"He's a tough guy, a resilient guy. He dies for the Falcons," Brandon said. "He's just a great, great kid.
"He has great passion for the game."
Lanning's perseverance and desire to play the game doesn't go unnoticed by his teammates.
"John, he just tries so hard to do the best that he can everytime and that's something that I could try to do more of, maybe learn from him," said BG's Kory Lichtensteiger, a team captain, who starts next to Lanning on the line. "He's been to the point where he didn't think he would be able to play again and he's fighting as hard as he can out there to go every rep (repetition) and he does a good job at it."
Lanning has made the most of his final opportunity to play college football by earning a starting spot this season. He played in eight games last fall as a backup linemen and on special teams.
"Last year, I had a pretty significant role. I probably played about 20 snaps per game," Lanning said. "This is the first time that I've been in the mix completely, start to finish. It was what I was re-habbing (doing rehabilitation) for all that time. This is the reason I came back, for this opportunity."
While the surgeries have slowed Lanning down and some of his teammates are more talented, Lanning makes up for any shortcomings with a strong desire to play the game.
"Guys look up to his work ethic, that's the best thing you can take from John. He's got a good spirit. He's always trying to do what's right," Lichtensteiger said.
Lanning accepts his limitations, but strives to do the best he can.
"I'm not the most physically gifted lineman ... I know I'm not going to be as fast, as agile," Lanning said. "We have `Big D' (Derrick Markray), Kory and Drew (Nystrom). It's a tough crew to compare to, especially being all hobbled-up. They call me peg-leg.
"It's tough to live up to their expectations physically, but mentally I know the game inside and out. That's one thing that I can bring."
Lanning is also a strong presence in the locker room.
"When the young guys have little setbacks, I can go to them and talk to them about surgeries and things like that," Lanning said. "Nick Davis had a tragic season-ending knee injury. I was able to talk to him about what to expect.
"We have a responsibility to leave this team better than when we came. It's like the good camper rule: Leave the area cleaner then when you got there," he continued. "I would consider it a failure if we left the program worse off than when we got here. So I take all the opportunities I can to try to help the younger guys and bring them along."
