COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Ohio State football player Harry Miller will attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address Tuesday evening as a guest of First Lady Jill Biden. Miller, and 24 others invited by the First Lady, were selected “because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the President in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris Administration’s policies at work for the American people.”
Miller, a senior at Ohio State majoring in mechanical engineering, announced his retirement from the sport of football in March of 2022, and he has since become an advocate for mental health and emotional wellness. He shared his story of anxiety and depression during a powerful appearance on the TODAY Show just over a year ago, and has spoken at numerous events on Ohio State’s campus, including the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health’s Faces of Resilience banquet this past September.
A key component of President Biden’s agenda is tackling the mental health crisis, and it includes a strategy to “transform how mental health is understood, perceived, accessed, treated, and integrated – in and out of health care settings,” according to a press release from The White House announcing the invitees.
Under the leadership of head coach Ryan Day, mental health is a priority in the Ohio State football program. Day and his wife Christina formed the Christina and Ryan Day Fund for Pediatric and Adolescent Mental Wellness at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and just last year made a $1 million gift to the Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund, which is housed in Ohio State’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Day has increased the number of sports psychologists that work with the football program and emphasized strong mental health as much as physical health and wellbeing.
Miller, who remains on scholarship Ohio State, played in 22 games between 2019-21, including starting seven times at left guard for the 2020 Big Ten Conference champions. He played in 13 of 14 games as a true freshman in 2019.
Miller is extremely conscientious and caring off the field. He was named one of 22 members of the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his dedication to community service and the positive impact he has made on the lives of others.
Miller has served as a board member at Mission 4 Nicaragua, a nonprofit organization that operates a school and distributes food and medicine to less fortunate families in Los Brasiles. He raises money for Mission 4 Nicaragua through the sale of t-shirts, sweatshirts and baseball caps, and he has made nearly a dozen trips to Nicaragua, including having Ohio State teammates accompany him.
A two-time Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar, Miller has also been honored as an OSU Scholar-Athlete three times and as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree twice.
COURTESY OSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
