Ohio State head coach Ryan Day answered all of the critics during his team’s run to the national championship.
Following Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Michigan on Nov. 10, many media members and even plenty of Buckeyes fans were calling for Day’s head. The loss was the fourth in a row for Day against his program’s biggest rival and meant for a fourth-straight year, Ohio State would not win the Big Ten. At the time, the national title seemed out of the question.
Well, Day’s team, perhaps sparked by that bitter defeat to the Maize and Blue, got up off the mat and reeled off four wins in a row in the College Football Playoff, culminating with Monday night’s 34-23 triumph over Notre Dame in the championship game.
After the win, Day could be seen celebrating with his family on the field. The image illustrated how far the group came since having to endure 24/7 security outside their house following the loss to Michigan.
Yes, that happened, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported in his column from the championship game.
“In late November, after Ohio State lost to archrival Michigan for the fourth consecutive time — at home, as a three-touchdown favorite — this moment seemed unfathomable to perhaps everyone other than the Buckeyes themselves,” Feldman wrote. “Day’s family, especially the coach’s three children, took the brunt of some Ohio State fans’ anger at losing to the hated Wolverines again. Threats were made that led to the Days receiving around-the-clock police protection.”
Day’s son R.J. also told Feldman he didn’t leave his house much in the weeks between the Michigan game and Ohio State’s first round playoff win over Tennessee on December 21.
Clearly, it was a very bad situation for the coach and his family.
“There’s no way he should go through the stuff, especially his family. It’s one thing to criticize playcalling, but the personal stuff is uncalled for,” Ohio State AD Ross Bjork said after Monday’s game, via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. “And what I hope that people really take away from this is we have the best coach in the country.”
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum, a frequent Day critic, also said Tuesday that the coach has been “fully vindicated” after winning it all. Whether that is the case or not, we feel confident saying Day and his family will have no issues going out in public in the coming months, which is a good thing.
Related: Ohio State AD Calls Out Fans For ‘Personal’ Criticism Of Ryan Day After Title Game