OSU Coach Ryan Day Compares Michigan Losses to Death of His Father

After three consecutive losses to Michigan, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has had enough.

Day, 45, and the Buckeyes host the Michigan Wolverines in Columbus on Saturday, November 30, hoping to break the school’s longest losing streak to their bitter rival since 1997. 

“We’ve felt what it’s like to not win this game, and it’s bad,” Day told WBNS-Columbus in a Monday, November 25 interview. “It’s one of the worst things that’s happened to me in my life, quite honestly — other than losing my father and a few other things. Quite honestly, for my family it’s the worst thing that’s happened. We can never have that happen again. Ever.”

Day’s father, Raymond Day, died by suicide in 1988 when Day was 8 years old. 

“For our players, this is it. Our number one goal every year is to win this game,” Day continued. “You gotta go pour it on the field. People can say, ‘Well, it’s just a game.’ This is not just a game. It’s just not. It’s our life.”

The Buckeyes are 1-3 against Michigan, the defending national champions, since Day took over as full-time head coach in 2019. 

With his team currently ranked No. 2 in the country — and with national championship aspirations of their own on the table — Day acknowledged none of their previous success will matter if they lose to Michigan again. 

“There’s a lot of people counting on this game,” Day said. “This is our identity, it’s who we are. We don’t have anything else. It’s a big responsibility. The last couple years when it doesn’t get done, it just eats at your core. It motivates you every single day to come back, to get this done.”

Despite his team’s recent track record, Day is still keen on leaning into the rivalry with Michigan, widely regarded as one of the best in all of sports. 

“We live it every day,” he said. “That’s kind of how you honor the rivalry. Everything that you do and the decisions that you make is leading up to this game. When you don’t get it done the last couple years, you go back and you figure out, ‘OK, what needs to change in order to get this done?’ That starts right at the end of the season and you go from there.”

Day added, “We’re ready, we’re ready. We’ve been ready for a while. So, time to go play.”

Ohio State battles Michigan on Saturday, November 30 at 12 p.m. ET on Fox. 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.