Mental health is an issue that hits close to home for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. The coach and his wife, Nina, have dedicated themselves to raising awareness since joining the Buckeyes program several years ago.
Together, they have provided support for those struggling with mental wellness. Through their initiatives, they have significantly contributed to research and treatment programs, aiming to break the stigma around mental health illness and wellness.
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In 2019, Ryan and Nina Day established The Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The fund has supported various initiatives, including the “On Our Sleeves” campaign, which promotes open discussions about mental health.
On August 1, 2022, Ohio State President Kristina Johnson announced that the Day family had made another significant donation. With a $1 million contribution to the OSU Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine, they created the Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund, which supports research and treatment programs designed to help individuals cope with mental health challenges.
Following Ohio State’s recent championship success, donations to the Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Mental Wellness have significantly increased.
In an episode of the “Buckeye Fever Podcast,” Day discussed the importance of mental health and why it is a cause he feels so personally connected to.
“We felt like we had to focus on, you know, one area that we could really improve in. There’s a lot of charities that we get ourselves involved in,” Day explained.
“…There’s just so many great charities throughout Columbus, and so we like to be involved with everything. But at the end of the day, you have to focus on one area, and we felt like that was important. Nationwide Children’s [Hospital] is tremendous in what they do,” Day continued.
Day has a deep, personal connection to mental health awareness. His father died by suicide when he was just eight years old. It took years for him to come to terms with his loss and understand the impact of mental illness. His wife, Nina, has also been open about her struggles with anxiety, particularly during her college years.
Day elaborated that the area around Columbus has been good for the Day family’s cause.
“You know, we’re so fortunate here in Central Ohio to have such a great resource in that hospital. We wanted to be a part of that. The mental health, obviously, was big because of growing up,” Day said.
“And in my story with my father, I felt like that was good for me to kind of get out there, but also good because you’re looking at some of the biggest, strongest, most impressive guys in all of Ohio, but they’re going through the same type of thing, and so we thought that was important.”
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Since becoming head coach in 2019, Day has expanded Ohio State football’s mental health resources. The program now includes two full-time psychologists, two athletic counselors, and a part-time psychiatrist to support student-athletes.
The Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund is housed in Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. It focuses on research into risk factors and early intervention strategies for mental health conditions. The Days have remained dedicated to breaking down barriers and encouraging open discussions about mental well-being.
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Day concluded his podcast discussion with a message about the importance of ongoing research and support.
“We hear mental health all the time and what comes with that, and so we wanted to be a part of that,” he said. “And now they’re multiple years in, and they’re already finding some of the things that lead to mental health issues and the risk factors and everything that comes with that. So again, we’re a leader here in Central Ohio, and I think it’s very, very important.”
Day first started publicly discussing mental health in 2018 after visiting a high school that had experienced multiple student suicides. That visit forced him to confront his past and inspired him to take action.
Through their foundation and advocacy work, Ryan and Nina Day continue to push for better mental health resources and awareness, leaving a lasting impact both within and beyond the Ohio State football program.
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