Ryan Day’s accomplishments with Ohio State are clear. He won his first National Championship in 2024, but the Buckeyes have consistently been a top-tier program during his tenure. Yet his philanthropy is what sets him apart. Well, the Buckeyes honored him with the highest recognition, surpassing even Jim Tressel’s efforts.

On February 23, WBNS reporter Nicole Shearin hopped onto her X handle and announced one of Ryan Day’s biggest achievements, if not the biggest: “Wondering why everyone is wearing fake beards? OSU head coach Ryan Day was honored as this year’s #Buckeye Legend on the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer!” She tweeted.

It’s official: Coach Ryan Day just leveled up his status in Columbus by being named the 2026 Buckeye Legend during the 19th annual Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. The Buckeyes’ leader achieved this honor in his 9th year. For context: It took Jim Tressel 13 years to officially land the “Buckeye Legend” title on the cruise.

The former Buckeye head honcho didn’t receive his until 2024. It took some of the older legends decades of retirement to reach this level of Buckeye royalty. Day is earning his stripes while he’s still right in the middle of his coaching prime.

Although the Buckeye cruise ship sailed earlier last week, the biggest play of the trip happened last night. The crew was hanging out in the beautiful waters of Grand Turk. The Buckeye players wore beard wigs to mimic Day, repped his Day jersey, and surprised him. Day couldn’t control his excitement and was dumbfounded for a minute.

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“I’m just honored to be a part of this group, not just the folks on the cruise, but these players. Just this deal means a lot. Means a lot to be recognized like this. I got caught completely off guard, like I said I’m not retired for a long time so I wasn’t sure what it all, what it was, but great to hear,” Day said.

But what really makes this Legend title stick is how much he does when the cameras aren’t on him. Ryan Day and his wife, Nina, have been vocal advocates for mental health and cancer research for years. During this 2026 cruise, Day was right there in the middle of the “Fund-a-Need” auctions, helping to charm donors and auction off once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the team. Because of that energy, the 2026 cruise ended up raising a record-shattering $4.3 million in just one week.

That pushed the cruise’s all-time total to over $48 million. That has to be a life-changing amount of money for cancer research and patient care. However, the big question is why it took Jim Tressel 13 years.

Jim Tressel’s long wait is unlike Ryan Day’s

Since his coaching career at Ohio State wrapped up back in 2011, he had to wait over a decade in “retirement” before the cruise officially gave him the nod. Part of the reason for the wait was simply that this specific tradition is pretty new. Tressel actually helped kick things off as one of the first honorees in 2024, followed by Archie Griffin in 2025.

Tressel left Ohio State under a cloud, which is another reason everything slowed down. The school needed a few years for the dust to settle. In 2015, Ohio State fully welcomed him back and inducted him into the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Even though it took him longer than Day, Tressel’s impact on the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer has been huge. He’s been a staple on the ship for years. In 2024, he raised about $4.4 million. By the time Tressel was named a Legend, the cruise had already raised roughly $40 million in its history. These are impressive results for both head coaches.