Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has made history. After leading his team to a victory in the Orange Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Freeman became the first Black and first Asian American coach to compete in the national championship game.
Freeman, who is Korean American, reflected on this milestone following the win. “It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter, great people — continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this,” Freeman told ESPN. “But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s so special.”
Notre Dame won the game 27-24 against Penn State, thanks to a 41-yard field goal by kicker Mitch Jeter with just eight seconds left. The Fighting Irish are now set to face the winner of the Friday semifinal between Ohio State and Texas in the national championship game on January 20.
While Freeman briefly acknowledged his background after the nail-biting victory, he has discussed his heritage more in-depth in the past. In an essay featured on the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights’ personal narrative archive on race, Freeman shared that his father, who served in the Air Force, met his mother while stationed in South Korea.
When he was younger, Freeman didn’t fully realize his mother’s identity as an Asian immigrant, but as he grew older, he began to appreciate his heritage.
“I embraced my Korean background. I did Taekwondo, which is a Korean martial art, growing up,” Freeman said. “But also, you know, I did sports and embraced my African American side.”
In a 2021 essay for the Players’ Tribune, Freeman mentioned that his father’s military service taught him discipline, while his mother’s experience as an immigrant showed him the value of selflessness. “She’s a Korean woman who fell in love with this American guy that was stationed over in Korea,” Freeman wrote.
“And she left all of her comfort, back home, in order to start a family with my dad in the United States. She’s taught me so much about sacrifice, how it can be its own reward.”
Freeman, who turned 39 on Friday, is in his third year as head coach of Notre Dame and has a record of 34-9. Before taking over as head coach, he served as the team’s defensive coordinator.
