Before they found themselves in college football history, Ryan Day and his wife, You guysthey were just two kids playing tee-ball in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Day, 45, is now the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and Nina, whom he married in June 2005, recently reflected on their time growing up together in the Northeast.
In an August 2024 interview with Columbus’ WBNS 10TV, Nina said she and Ryan grew up in Manchester “about a mile and a half away from each other.” They went to the same elementary school, middle school and high school and in college, both Ryan and Nina went to the University of New Hampshire, where Ryan was the quarterback on the football team.
“There’s a piece of paper we kept—I think I was in the 7th grade—that I wrote and said I was going to marry Ryan,” said Nina. We have always been good friends.”
Nina even released a photo from 1985 when they were on the same youth soccer team. “This is Ryan, my twin, Kelly, this is me,” he said, pointing to the three.
Before Ryan was named head coach at Ohio State in 2018, his coaching career took him and his growing family — he and Nina are the parents of a son. RJ and daughters Kindness again Nia – across the country, from student stops at schools like Boston College and Temple, to NFL coaching jobs with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.
“In 15 years, we went 11 times,” Nina told WBNS. “At that time we had 3 children. So, there was a lot. From about the year we got married when we came to the State of Ohio, every year or every two years we went. It was unstable for a long time.”
For the full timeline of Ryan and Nina’s relationship, read on.
2005
Ryan and Nina married while he was working as a graduate assistant at the University of Florida.
“We dated and fell in love again and when we finished college, we got back together and the rest is history,” Nina told WBNS.
He added, “There was always a comfort level with him. We are still good friends. I think that’s the best marriage can be. You live with your best friend every day.”
2009
The couple welcomed their first child, son Ryan Jr. (RJ, for short), during Ryan’s time as the wide receivers coach at Boston College.
Nina admitted that being the son of a coach was not always easy for her son when he was growing up.
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“From 1st to 5th grade, he started school in one district and ended up in another school,” he told WBNS. “He was in seven different elementary schools.”
He added, “But it made him a lot stronger.”
RJ is busy following in his father’s footsteps as a linebacker at DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio.
2011
Ryan and Nina welcomed their first daughter, Grace, while Day was still working at Boston College.
2014
The couple welcomed their third child, daughter Nia, after Day returned to Boston College as the school’s coordinator after one season as the offensive coordinator at Temple University.
2020
Ryan lived separately from Nina and her three children for three months during the COVID-affected college football season to reduce the threat of infection.
“It was not easy,” said Nina The Columbus Dispatch January 2021. “Most of my life I could plan things and look forward to the next week or the next three or four games. This year we just lived hour by hour. I mean, every hour something comes up, and I hold my breath every time I see my husband’s name on my phone because I think, ‘Oh, God. Now what?’”
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Nina admitted that it was very difficult to have her husband in the house after the Big Ten postponed the start of its season due to the epidemic.
“Those were very difficult weeks,” said Nina. “Even though he was at home for the first time at school, and even though he could do soccer and football games for the kids on the weekends and pick them up from school, it was a big gap. And it was very difficult to be with Ryan during those weeks. “
2023
Before the start of his fifth full season as head coach at Ohio State, Ryan shared a photo on Instagram of his family returning from vacation alongside a photo from the same location, four years ago.
“Time flies,” Ryan wrote. “1st pic: Winter 2019 before first season as HC. 2nd pic: Today we’re on our way back to Columbus. Season 5 is just around the corner! Stronger than ever. Go Bucks!!”
2025
Nina and Grace were photographed celebrating with Ryan on the field after Ohio State beat the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl.