"My wife just started crying": Ohio State HC Ryan Day recalls bittersweet moment with family from 2018

Ryan Day led Ohio State past Notre Dame 34-23 to claim college football's biggest prize, the national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

However, the weeks leading up to the victory weren't comfortable for Day and his family. Ohio State suffered the fourth consecutive loss to Michigan in the regular season finale, leading to criticism and backlash on him from some in the Columbus fanbase.

On “The Steam Room” podcast, Ryan Day was asked if he had prepared his family for such adversity as the Buckeyes coach. He answered by recalling the moment with his wife and kids on the eve of becoming the program's head coach.

“I remember the night before we got named the head coach of Ohio State, my wife just started crying," Day said (Timestamp 10:19). "They were younger then, and we were all sitting on the bed together. She said ‘This is the last time our family is going to be normal,’ and she was right. It was just very different."

Day, however, describes the progress that has been made in ensuring the family stays safe and sane in the midst of a fanbase that can be hostile.

“Along the way, we've had great people in the community that put their arms around our children," Day said (Timestamp 10:40). "But like you said, there are good moments and there are tough moments. Every year, my children and my wife have gotten stronger."

Ryan Day’s wife, Nina, narrates the ordeal following the Michigan loss

In an interview with Columbus Dispatch following Ohio State's national championship success, Ryan Day's wife, Nina, detailed the ordeal the family went through at the hands of some fans. It was a dark time for the family as the fans created a hostile environment for them.

“The time between the Michigan game and the Tennessee game was as low and dark as you could possibly imagine,” Nina Day said. “Extremely negative. Unprecedented hate. They told me multiple times to have Ryan follow in his father’s footsteps and kill himself.

“It was very difficult. Very difficult. There were a lot of tears. We shielded them from a lot of it because I didn’t want to scare them. I didn’t want them to stay up at night thinking anything bad was going to happen.”

Ryan Day ultimately silenced his critics in the College Football Playoff, leading the Buckeyes to a dominant national championship victory. The triumph was a defining moment for the coach, who has witnessed a fair share of the hostility of the Columbus fanbase in his time at the program.