Ryan Day is aiming to lead Ohio State to a national title this year, and wife Nina Day has been supporting him since the beginning.
The very beginning.
The couple have been in each other’s lives since playing tee ball together as kids, growing up and going to college together before getting married. Now, Nina will be cheering Ryan on as he leads the Buckeyes into the College Footbal Playoff.
Here are five facts to know about Ryan Day’s wife and the role she’s played in his rise to the top of the college football world.
Ryan and Nina Day Have Known Each Other for Decades
Nina Day told Columbus news station WBNS 10TV that she and Ryan grew up about a mile-and-a-half away from each other in Manchester, New Hampshire. Nina Day showed a picture of herself and Ryan together on the same tee ball team, adding that she knew early that they were meant to be together.
“There was a note we saved — I think I was in 7th grade — that I wrote and I said I was going to marry Ryan,” Nina said. “We’ve always been best friends.”
Couple Dated On and Off Until Getting Married
Nina Day said she and Ryan dated on and off through college, eventually getting married while was working as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida.
The couple tied the knot in 2005.
“There was always a comfort level with him. We’re still best friends,” Nina Day said. “I think that’s the best way a marriage can be. You’re with your best friend every day.”
Busy Life of a College Football Coach
Nina and Ryan Day have not had much down time in their marriage, with Ryan moving from school to school as he worked his way up the college coaching ladder.
“Within a 15 year span, we moved 11 times,” Nina told WBNS. “In that time, we had 3 children. So, it was a lot. From the year we got married to probably when we got to Ohio State, every year or every two years we were moving. It was very unstable for a long time.”
Couple Shares Passion for Giving Back
While Ryan Day has earned a reputation as one of the top coaches in college football, he and Nina have plenty of other work off the field. As WCMH reported, Nina Day has become an advocate for mental health awareness.
Nina noted that studies have shown one in five children develop mental illness at a very young age so having these conversations earlier in life is important.
“Ryan and Nina donated $100,000 toward the On Our Sleeves initiative by Nationwide Children’s Hospital that supports children and young adults living with mental illness,” the report noted. “And that donation helped start the Christina and Ryan Day fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness at the hospital that according to the website, ‘will help raise awareness, increase educational opportunities, inspire advocacy, and be a role model for donating to a cause that has historically been ignored.’ ”
Nina Day Loves Columbus
The couple has put down deep roots around Columbus, with Nina noting how much Ryan loves coaching at Ohio State.
“Every day Ryan wakes up, he feels very, very grateful to be a part of The Ohio State University,” Nina said. “We all do. My kids have traveled all over the country and this is the kind of the first place all 3 of them are very, very happy. And they talk about the high schools they are going to go to so Daddy doesn’t really have a choice!”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Nina Day, Ryan Day’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know appeared first on Heavy Sports.