Marcus Freeman has some inspirational words after becoming first Black coach to reach the FBS national championship
Marcus Freeman wants young coaches of all minorities to be able to lead quality teams like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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Marcus Freeman could become the first Black coach to win a college football title (Image via FOX)
Notre Dame is heading to the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship under the leadership of third-year head coach Marcus Freeman. The Fighting Irish clinched a dramatic victory over Penn State in the 2025 Orange Bowl.
On Thursday night, Notre Dame secured a thrilling 27-24 victory over Penn State in a College Football Playoff semifinal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mitch Jeter’s clutch 41-yard field goal with just seven seconds left sealed the win for the Fighting Irish. The triumph marked Notre Dame’s 13th consecutive victory, achieved despite trailing 10-0 late in the first half. They also faced a seven-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter and lost two starting offensive linemen to injuries during the game.
As Notre Dame aims to capture its first national championship since 1988, head coach Marcus Freeman has his sights set on making history. A win would make him the youngest coach to claim a title since Clemson’s Danny Ford accomplished the feat at age 33 in 1981. Freeman will also become the first Black head coach to lead a team in a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) national championship game.
Additionally, Freeman’s heritage brings another milestone to the sport—his mother is of South Korean descent, making him the first coach of Asian descent to reach this stage of the CFP. However, Freeman told ESPN’s Molly McGrath in a postgame interview that he doesn’t want attention on his achievement but the cumulative success.
I’ve said this before: I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team. 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. But this ain’t about me. This is about us. We’re going to celebrate what we’ve done because it’s so special.
Marcus Freeman said
Freeman spent only one season as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator before being promoted to head coach following current LSU coach Brian Kelly’s departure after the 2021 season. In the short span, he has compiled an impressive 34-9 record over three full seasons at the helm. His tenure includes nine consecutive victories over AP-ranked opponents and a perfect 3-0 record in College Football Playoff games.
The Marcus Freeman vs. James Franklin showdown – A milestone in the gradual progress toward racial equity in sports
One way or another, a black coach was making it to the National Championship. On the other side of the field, Penn State was headlined by James Franklin, Pennsylvania native who’s been with the Nittany Lions for eleven years, is also of black heritage. Franklin, known for his aggressiveness, commented that he wondered their showdown makes an equal impact as the first Super Bowl with two black coaches.
Richard Lapchick, founder of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, reflected on the historic significance of the milestone. He also shed light on their frustrations with how long it has taken.
The fact that we’re celebrating this — it is 2025. That’s a long time coming for that, and it still doesn’t mean a Black head coach will have won that national championship.
Richard Lapchick said
College Basketball, although a step further still lacks enough racial disparity in terms of glory. John Thompson made history in 1984 by leading Georgetown to a title, becoming the first of four Black coaches to achieve the feat. On the women’s side, Carolyn Peck guided Purdue to a championship in 1999, and Dawn Staley of South Carolina claimed her first of three titles in 2017.
Now, the Fighting Irish will wait for the Texas Longhorns vs. Ohio State Buckeyes CFP semifinal to determine their opponent in the championship game.
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Mohammed Bazim
(399 Articles Published)