Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman made history Thursday night, becoming the first Black or Asian coach to advance to the NCAA football championship game.
Freeman has coached the Fighting Irish football team for three years, and the team has an impressive 14-1 record. The latest victory, a thrilling 27-24 win over head coach James Franklin and Penn State’s Nittany Lions, was secured by kicker Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal with just seven seconds remaining in the 2025 Orange Bowl semifinal.
CBS Sports reported that the Fighting Irish made history as the first team to win two bowl games in a single postseason and the first to compete for a national championship since 2012.
1.
‘It’s an honor’
After Thursday night’s game, Freeman, whose father is Black and mother is South Korean, delivered a powerful message when asked about achieving this milestone.
“I’ve said this before: I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” Freeman told reporters after the Orange Bowl, per CBS Sports. “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.”
2.
Black coaches are still underrepresented in football
The Orange Bowl, held in Miami Gardens, Florida, marked a historic moment as either Freeman or Franklin would become the first Black coach to lead their team to the championship game. It inspires other coaches, as, according to the Center of Economic Research and The Washington Post, Black coaches remain underrepresented in collegiate and professional football.
Freeman and his squad will face the winner of Friday’s Cotton Bowl between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns. The College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be held on Jan. 20 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
