Ryan Day Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images
The Ohio State University football coach Ryan Day and his family went through it after the Buckeyes’ brutal loss to Michigan.
“We had security at our house,” Ryan’s son, R.J. Day, shared with The Athletic in an interview published Tuesday, January 21. “School was really bad. I didn’t really leave the house much ’til after the Tennessee game [three weeks later]. It was rough, but you’ve gotta hang on in those rough times because eventually things will turn back around again.”
In November 2024, Ohio State lost to arch-rival Michigan for the fourth consecutive time. Ryan, 45, — who also shares daughters Grace and Nia with wife Nina Day — and his family received threats that led to around-the-clock police protection.
Two days ago, however, Ohio State redeemed themselves when they won the National Title after beating Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
“I’ve learned lessons this last month that I will use [for] the rest of my life,” R.J. explained. “I’ve learned so much about the integrity of people and about getting up and working every day.”
Ryan Day with his family. Courtesy of Ryan Day/Instagram
While Ryan’s father-in-law, Stan Spirou, had his own experience dealing with upset fans — he’s the former basketball coach at New Hampshire University — he couldn’t believe what he witnessed after Ohio State lost to Michigan.
Through it all, he praised Ryan’s wife, Nina, for remaining strong for the family.
“She knows the up and downs, but she’d never experienced what they had to go through in the last month and a half,” he explained. “Certainly, I had my share of setbacks, but it got personal there for a while [for the Days]. That had a tremendous impact on the immediate family and the kids.”
R.J., who is a high school sophomore, also praised his mom calling her “unbelievable.”
“She has moved, like, nine or 10 times by herself while my dad would be ahead working already in that other state,” he shared. “We call her the rock of the family.”
As Ohio State fans continue to celebrate a major victory, Nina hopes her kids take away a valuable lesson after the heartbreaking loss that occurred less than two months ago.
“No matter what happens we still have each other,” she said. “We just stuck together. The biggest thing is you learn to fail but you’ve got to get back up. 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.”
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