Ryan Day and Nina Day on December 7, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Photo:
Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Ohio State University’s football coach, Ryan Day, has found the ultimate teammate in his wife, Nina Day.
After two seasons as a defensive coordinator, Ryan was named head coach at Ohio State University in 2019; Nina has since been dubbed the “First Lady of Ohio State Football” by their Columbus community.
“I don’t think any other place compares to [Ohio State]. This place is very, very special. We knew it the minute we got here,” she told WSYX ABC 6 in August 2019.
Ryan and Nina have known each other since they were kids growing up in New Hampshire — they even played on the same T-ball team, per an August 2024 interview with WBNS 10TV. Fast forward, the couple wed in June 2005 and they have since welcomed three children: Ryan Jr., Grace and Ourania.
The Day family moved more than 10 times for Ryan’s coaching career before they landed in Ohio. Nina has supported her husband through every win and loss — and on Jan. 10 she’ll be rooting from the stands as the Buckeyes face off against the Texas Longhorns in the 2024-25 College Football Playoffs semifinals in Dallas.
So who is Ryan Day’s wife? Here’s everything to know about Nina Day and her relationship with Ohio State University’s football coach.
Ryan Day and his wife Nina Day. Ryan Day/ Instagram
Nina (whose full first name is Christina) grew up in Manchester, N.H., about a “mile and a half away” from Ryan.
As kids, they played T-ball together in 1985 and looking back, Nina says her husband had a coach’s mentality even then.
“He yelled at me for picking dandelions and told me to get focused. He’s always been super competitive,” she told WBNS 10TV in August 2024.
The pair attended the same schools growing up, including college at the University of New Hampshire. Ryan played football at UNH, and Nina described their relationship as “off and on” during that time.
Nina Day and Ryan Day on September 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Jamie Sabau/Getty
After college, Ryan and Nina rekindled their romance and married in June 2005.
“There was a comfort level with him. We’re still best friends. I think that’s the best way a marriage can be,” she said while sharing the couple’s love story with WBNS 10TV in August 2024.
Ryan Day and Nina Day with their three kids on December 7, 2019, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Ryan and Nina have three children: Ryan Jr. (who goes by R.J.), Grace and Ourania (who goes by Nia).
“He is an unbelievable dad,” Nina told WSYX ABC 6 in August 2019. “He’s very, very hands-on with the children.”
R.J., a high school sophomore in Columbus, is following in his dad’s footsteps as a quarterback — and Nina couldn’t be more proud.
“[Ryan and R.J.] are best friends. They’re both football junkies, and they bond over that,” she told WBNS 10TV in August 2024. “I see R.J. coaching one day just like his dad.”
Nina Day and Ryan Day in 2019 at a college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019, in Columbus, Ohio. AP Photo/Jay LaPrete
From the beginning, Nina has cheered on Ryan’s football coaching dreams.
She is anything but unfamiliar with college sports: Her dad, Stan Spirou, was the men’s basketball head coach at Southern New Hampshire University for 33 seasons. She grew up rooting for the Penmen alongside her mom, Patricia, her twin sister, Kelly, and her brother, Chuck.
“If I didn’t have my dad, I’m not sure we’d be where we are. He has provided so much insight,” she told WBNS 10TV in August 2024. “When Ryan got into coaching, he really encouraged us to go after it.”
Nina continued, “Within a 15-year span, we moved 11 times. In that time, we had three children. It was a lot. It was very unstable for a long time.”
The family has now been in Ohio for eight years, and while Ryan has earned many accolades throughout his career, such as 2019 Big Ten Conference Coach of the Year, he has yet to win a College Football Playoffs title — a trophy he and his are currently vying for.
As the “first lady,” Nina is in the limelight — something she has had to get used to.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable with that [title]. I definitely was a deer in headlights the first year,” she told WSYX ABC 6 in August 2022. “But now, more than ever, as a family, we’re ready to tackle everything that comes with being the head coach of Ohio State.”
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day before the game against the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 30, 2024, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty
When Ryan was 8 years old, his dad, Ray Day, died by suicide. The event eventually spurred the Buckeyes coach and his wife to advocate for mental health.
“We were married 15 years before I started asking questions and said Ray’s name,” Nina shared during an interview with WBNS 10TV in May 2022 after donating $100,000 to On Our Sleeves Movement for Children’s Mental Health. “This journey has been great for us because we’ve tackled mental illness and talked about his dad in ways we never could before.”
That same year, the couple made a $1 million gift to Ohio State and established The Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund, which supports mental health research and services at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
“Nina and I both understand how important it is to have someone you can turn to for help and strength in times of difficulty,” Ryan said in a press release. “Our hope is that this fund will allow more Buckeyes to find the support they need to become more resilient.”
