Ryan Day jokes about retirement after passing Knute Rockne on prestigious list

The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day played host to Minnesota on Saturday. They weren’t a particularly hospitable host, crushing the Golden Gophers 42-3. That kept the Buckeyes unbeaten this season. It also moved Day’s career record to 75-10.

That career record is important for Ryan Day because it gives him a higher winning percentage than legendary Notre Dame head coach Knute Rockne. Not a bad mark to finish his career at, Day joked after the game that it’s time for him to retire at the top of that prestigious list of coaches.

“I’m glad you brought that up,” Ryan Day joked. “Because this is the last game I’ll ever be coaching at Ohio State. I’m gonna hang it up, and that’s it. I’m gonna do a walk-off right now. I appreciated being the coach here.”

Rockne would coach at Notre Dame from 1918 to 1930 before his life was tragically cut short by a plane crash. During that stretch, he won three national championships and the Rose Bowl in the only time he took the Irish to a bowl. He also put up a record of 105-12-5. For his part, Day hasn’t been at Ohio State quite as long, but has managed to win his own national championship since taking over in 2019 to go with his 75-10 record.

For now, however, Rockne still holds the top spot on the all-time winning percentage list over Day. That’s because a coach needs to be active for a decade to qualify there. Rockne’s .881 percentage is incredibly tough to beat. Second on that list is another Notre Dame coach, Frank Leahy, who sits at .864. After that, it’s another coach Ohio State fans know well, Urban Meyer, who has an .854 winning percentage. In a few seasons, if Day maintains this success, he’ll break into the rankings. For now, though, he’ll settle for knowing he has an .882 mark.

“No, a long way to go. It has everything to do with the players, the coaches, and this place. When you recognize how long some of those coaches coached and you recognize what they went through and the seasons and the different changes, you just kind of appreciate how long they coached. Some of these seasons are like dog years at Ohio State,” Day said. “But I’m just fortunate to be here, and I know what the obligation is, I know what the expectation is, and so do these players and coaches. So, we’ll just keep swinging away.”

Certainly, the expectation is that Ryan Day keeps adding to his winning percentage this season. That includes next week when the Buckeyes have a tough road test against Illinois.