Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman becomes 1st Black and 1st Asian American coach to reach college football finals

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman has scored a historical first. 

Freeman, whose Fighting Irish won their Orange Bowl college football semifinal game on Thursday, will be the first Black and first Asian American coach to compete in the national championship game.  

Freeman, who’s Korean American, reflected on his trailblazing status after 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 beat Penn State, 27-24, on kicker Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal with eight seconds left. The Irish will face the winner of Friday’s semifinal between Ohio State and Texas in the national championship game on Jan. 20. 

While the coach spoke briefly about his heritage following the down-to-the-wire victory, he’s been open about his background in the past. In a personal narrative archive on race, launched by the school’s Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights, Freeman said that his father was in the Air Force and met his mother while stationed in South Korea. He said he wasn’t so aware of his mother’s background as an Asian immigrant when he was younger. But later on, he grew 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 also said that he learned discipline from his father’s military background, and selflessness from his mother’s experience as an immigrant.  

“She’s a Korean woman who fell in love with this American guy that was stationed over in Korea,” Freeman said. “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 N.D.’s head coach and boasts an overall record of 34-9. Previously, he was the team’s defensive coordinator.