COLUMBUS, Ohio — After a seven-year tidal wave, Urban Meyer's watch at Ohio State football has ended.
One of the greatest coaches in the history of the program formally announced his retirement from OSU on Tuesday. The school immediately announced offensive coordinator Ryan Day as its new head coach.
Meyer, 54, leaves after seven seasons in charge of Ohio State's program with an astounding record of 81-9.
A perfect 7-0 against Michigan.
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"This is home, this is where I grew up, it's not healthy but I came to work every day with fear of letting people like Archie Griffin and (Ohio State) and the great state of Ohio down," Meyer said. "I hired Ryan Day because I thought he was a very good coach, I knew he was.
"What I found out was that he's far past that, he's elite."
Meyer cited health reasons related to an arachnoid cyst that led to a brain surgery in 2014. The decision to retire also comes 12 games after Meyer was suspended for three games entering the year due to an investigation into domestic violence allegations, and Meyer's knowledge of them, surrounding former assistant coach Zach Smith.
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Meyer was asked if this is it for him in football. He did not give a firm answer at first, but ultimately said he believes he's done coaching football.
Ultimately, though, he attempted to push attention toward the 39-year-old Day.
Because on Tuesday afternoon a new king of Columbus was crowned.
Day's family entered a jam-packed Clinton Room inside Ohio State's Fawcett Center and took its seat to the left of a prepared podium. Meyer's family entered second and the now-former Ohio State head coach took his seat in the front row as athletic director Gene Smith went over a brief recap of his accomplishments in Columbus.
Meyer's prepared statements were very brief.
He wished his grandson a happy birthday, said his goal was always to leave the program in the hands of a capable coach and told Ohio State fans he was eagerly awaiting the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
"We've worked extremely hard to make the great state of Ohio, the university and the community and Buckeye Nation very proud," Meyer said, before taking his seat and watching as Smith introduced Ohio State's new chief.
Smith said he met with Day — who is now the program's first coach since 1946 to take the Ohio State job without having been a head coach previously — for an extended period of time of the summer and extensively throughout the year.
"He had an opportunity to audition," Smith added. "This is a complex place."
Ohio State's athletic director met with Meyer every Sunday over the past month to discuss a potential transition. During those conversations, Smith says he evaluated other candidates and weighed a possible national search.
In the end, he picked a 39-year-old who has never been a head coach because "our program does not need disruption."
Day, who sat at a table between his new boss (Smith) and the legend he's replacing, did his best to give a nod to all important parties.
"The culture Urban Meyer's created here is strong," he said. "To Buckeye Nation, you have my word I'm going to give everything I have to continue the tradition of winning and excellence (Ohio State's enjoyed)."
He thanked his family, Meyer, the current players and briefly addressed the "high school coaches" in the state of Ohio.
Then, he got to business.
Day said he's entering this job with two top missions in mind.
"No. 1, win the rivalry game," Day said, referring, of course, to Michigan. "No. 2, win every game after that."
"Every coach who ever put a whistle around their neck strives to be the head coach at the Ohio State University," Day continued. "It's extremely humbling, but I'm prepared and ready for the task."
The news conference went about 25 minutes before anyone asked Day a question, as most of the attention surrounded Meyer — a coach who no doubt leaves as the program's modern-day version of Woody Hayes. Meyer will continue to represent the program on campus in recruiting until his career closes at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
Day, however, will immediately represent the program in off-campus recruiting as the program's head coach.
Meyer did not address any of the offseason controversy in his statement, other than to call it a very difficult time for him personally.
Tuesday, he said, wasn't as difficult.
"This would be a really tough day if we were a mess (on the field)," Meyer said. "And personally, this would be awful.
"We felt like we did right. That makes this easier."
Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
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