Fairfield grad enjoys moment in spotlight after Bengals’ video goes viral

Day, a 2019 Fairfield High School graduate, was sitting in the front row with friends. He picks up the story there.

“(Uzomah) came over to us, Day said, “and we were just going crazy. Everybody else in Ford Field was booing. We were just so excited. He tried to give my buddy a high five, like a real good touchdown high five, all hyped up, and I got in the way with my phone, and it fell to the ground. But Joe Mixon was there and saw it, and he was smart enough to grab my phone and give it back to the rightful owner, which I think is awesome.”

Mixon focused the camera, which was still recording, on himself for a second before handing it back to Day.

The phone had a couple of cracks but still worked. Day looked at the video right away. His friend told him to share it on Twitter. Day did and tagged Uzomah and Mixon so they would see it.

“Thanks for returning my phone in one piece,” Day wrote on Twitter.

Day’s life ever since that moment has been a whirlwind. First Uzomah and Mixon shared the video, which led to more and more people sharing it and liking it.

“My guy!!” Uzomah said. “”My bad. That man (Mixon) had my back.”

The Twitter accounts of the Sporting News, Overtime, B/R Gridiron and Yahoo Sports, with more than two million followers between them, shared the video. A day later, the Bengals shared Day’s video as well as Getty Images photos of the moment.

Just like that, Day was a part of a viral moment with his favorite team.

“I never thought I would be,” he said Wednesday. “It’s crazy that it happened so fast.”

The media attention continued when Joe Danneman, of FOX19 Now in Cincinnati, interviewed him on Monday. Lance McAlister, of 700 WLW, talked to him on the radio on Tuesday.

This has all been good for Day’s business. He runs a shoe store, Bam’s Kicks, which is located at 5146 Pleasant Ave. in Fairfield.

According to its Facebook page, the business buys, sells and trades “used and new Jordans, Yeezys, Nikes as well as Hype and Vintage clothing.” It’s located in the back of a VIP Wireless and smoke shop.

Fellow Fairfield graduate Jackson Carman, a Bengals offensive lineman who was one year ahead of Day in school, plans to visit. Mixon told him on Twitter he needs to stop by.

Day started the business last November when he walked into a vape store that had extra space. He asked if he could sell shoes there. It took off fast.

“Now I have over 500 shoes for sale, and I can’t leave the store, it seems like,” Day said. “It’s mostly foot traffic like any store. I don’t ship too much. I’ve probably shipped like 10 or 15 times.”

Day grew up a basketball fan and always enjoyed new shoes. That’s how he got interested in selling them.

Day’s interest in the Bengals also started when he was a kid. He remembers seeing a team featuring Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens playing the Dolphins on Halloween in 2010 when he was 10.

The chance to see the Bengals in person this season came when he and his friend realized they could make a short drive to Detroit and get cheap tickets.

“We were planning on getting some just $30-40 seats, and then I looked and I saw some front-row seats for $200,” Day said. “I finally convinced my friend to do it. We finally get there, and all game, we wanted them to score right here. I had to pee so bad, but I never left our seats.”

Day’s resolve paid off when Uzomah scored. He also saw the Bengals deliver their most dominant performance of the season. They beat the Lions 34-11.

“It was a great game,” Day said. “It was a great experience. The team is so young and talented. I feel like they’re pretty well involved with the community and the fans. It’s a great team to be around.”