Ryan Day was recently at a Father's Day event hosted at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center last week. The event was a Father's Day special called the All Pro Dad Experience.

The agenda was quite simple: showing fathers as role models for their children. Day, being one of the guests, shared his own emotional story about his childhood.

"Growing up, I didn't have a father, but a lot of people stepped in that gap," said Day. " A lot of people did. And I actually looked at it like an opportunity, because I was able to choose the attributes in a bunch of men in my community that I wanted to emulate down the road."

According to an Eleven Warriors report, Day lost his father at just eight years old. His father, Raymond, passed away due to unforeseen circumstances, and that has led him to be a strong advocate for mental health awareness.

Since he knows what trauma feels like, he has started the Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness.

This is exactly why Day does not want his children to miss out as he did. That has now become his motto for life.

"From there, I wanted to become a good dad for my son RJ, for my daughters. I wanted to be a good husband. I wanted to show my kids what it looks like to be a good dad," Day further revealed as per the report.

Even former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel couldn't help but praise this quality about Day.

Jim Tressel's take on the Ohio State head coach's methods

Former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel was another guest at this All-Pro Dad Experience event. Tressel, who won a BCS Championship with Ohio back in 2002, had this to say about Day.

"Coach Day has his priorities in order," said Tressel in the same article. "His faith is very important to him, his family is very important to him, what he can do for the community, and who he represents is very important to him. Of course, his players are very important to him, but when he can carve out a minute to help someone, he's always available."

Many great NFL players have come out playing under Ryan Day at Ohio. Quarterbacks C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields, as well as wide receivers like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Chris Olave, have all played under Ryan Day.

Day has also donated 1 million dollars to the Ohio State University in August, 2022 to establish the mental health resilience fund. The money went directly to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. The purpose behind it has been to fund research and resources to aid struggling Buckeyes.

His mental health facility employs two full-time psychologists, two athletic counselors, and a part-time psychiatrist on staff. This has been known as a "Circle of Care" for his student-athletes.

Ohio has some big games lined up in 2026.  Texas, Oregon, Indiana, USC, and Michigan all lay in wait. Day naturally will have his work cut out for him, but Day thrives on adversity.

Do you think Day can recreate the 2025 championship magic yet again?

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote