Head coach Ryan Day has been on cloud nine ever since the Ohio State Buckeyes hoisted the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy following their 34-23 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
As he says, it was “Ohio State vs. Everybody” the entire season — especially after a humiliating loss to the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines in their 2024 regular-season finale. Questions were raised about his capabilities to lead a Big Ten powerhouse, and even his job security was in jeopardy. But everything changed overnight after Day’s team achieved glory.
Ryan Day Cherishes Memorable Moment With His Family
The coach’s wife and kids let out a sigh of relief because Day could finally walk freely around Columbus without fear of the death threats he received following the Michigan loss. After the championship, his wife, Nina, and his kids shared a warm hug with Day.
On Jan. 24’s episode of the Dan Patrick Show, Day mentioned that it was a joyous moment.
“That was a special moment, you know, something that, you know, I always remember. Just the fact that you could look at your family and your wife in the eyes and say, ‘Hey, we did this thing together.’ And they did. They were a big part of it. And we know where we were about a month ago and a half ago and where we are right now. It was pure joy,” he said.
Day’s national championship win came on a special day. His wife explained that it was the anniversary of Day losing his father as a nine-year-old — something he still grieves to this day. Now, though, he has a big family and wonderful kids to share this victory with.
“The kids look at their dad and know what he’s been through. He lost his dad at nine years old. He showed resilience and fought, and look at him now,” Nina said after the game in an interview with Athlon Sports.
“My kids will tell you that they couldn’t be more proud of their dad, and even after that awful loss, we told them we still believed in him, and no matter what happens, we still have each other. We just stuck together. The biggest thing is [that] you learn to fail, but you’ve got to get back up,” she said.
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“That’s the biggest thing they’ve learned through this whole thing. ‘Everyone fails, but you’ve got to get back up and keep swinging.'”
Day took charge of the program in 2019 following Urban Meyer’s retirement after the Rose Bowl. Day’s 70-10 record has been undisputable ever since, but the Buckeyes’ title victory now cements his position as one of the most successful college football coaches in the game.
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