Ohio State-Iowa Game Takes Surprise Turn After Ryan Day's Unexpected Gesture: "Thinking About You"

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For a few seconds, none of the rivalry matters. The players stop, the crowd turns, and thousands of people wave toward the kids watching from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. That is the magic of Iowa’s “Hawkeye Wave,” a tradition born in 2017 and embraced by almost every opponent since. Now, ahead of Iowa vs. Ohio State, Ryan Day has added another chapter to its story.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day extended the team’s support beyond the field by writing a heartfelt letter to every patient at the Stead Family Children’s Hospital overlooking Kinnick Stadium.

“All of us at Ohio State Football want you to know that we are thinking about you. At Ohio State, we talk often about what it means to compete, to stay together, and to give your best in the moment in front of you. Those are defining characteristics of our culture, which is built on “FIGHT,” meaning every day is a “FIGHT” to be the best version of yourself,” Ryan Day said in the letter.

This gesture by the Ohio State Buckeyes is particularly special, as seldom has any other team gone to such lengths to show support for the children there. Every Iowa game day, the “Hawkeye Wave” brings players, coaches, fans, and children inside the hospital together for a few special moments. But this time, Day found another way to show his support before the Buckeyes even took the field.

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The head coach is serious about upholding the tradition and ensuring everyone on the Buckeyes roster understands its significance. On this week’s Ryan Day Radio Show, Day explained that he would share the tradition’s meaning with his coaching staff and players, including why the Buckeyes will take part in one of college football’s most beloved traditions.

“I’m gonna probably address it with the team maybe Friday night at the meal, just to explain to them what’s going on with that, so it doesn’t catch them off guard,” he said.

Ohio State has long embraced the Hawkeye Wave. When the Buckeyes first returned to Kinnick Stadium after the tradition began in 2017, players, coaches, and traveling fans joined in, turning toward the hospital and waving to the children watching from its upper floors. The Buckeyes were also among the first teams to wholeheartedly uphold the tradition.

It should hardly come as a surprise to Buckeyes fans how much the program cares about children. In Columbus, Ohio State players and coaching staff regularly visit local children’s facilities to cheer up patients. In addition, the program has an ongoing relationship with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The James Cancer Hospital, where players visit patients during home-game weeks.

Speaking of Ryan Day specifically, he and Christina Day donated $100,000 to fund pediatric and adolescent mental wellness at the hospital back in 2019.

In December 2025, Ohio State brothers Lorenzo and Sonny Styles visited Nationwide Children’s Hospital, supporting young sickle cell patients. In memory of their late uncle, they also donated $20,000 towards research and patient care.

Just last February, BuckeyeThon raised a massive $872,919.13 for Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2026.

The school and program have always been steadfast in contributing where it matters most, and this small gesture from Ryan Day and his team will surely bring a big smile to the children at Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

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