Freeman, whose father is Black and mother is South Korean, is breaking barriers as the first Black coach and first coach of Asian descent to lead a team into a Division I college football national title game. Despite the significance of this milestone, Freeman is keen to keep the focus on the team.
“I’ve said this before: I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” Freeman shared after the Orange Bowl. “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.”
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Freeman’s journey to this historic moment includes serving as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator before stepping into the head coach role in 2021 after Brian Kelly’s departure. In just three full seasons, Freeman has compiled a 34-9 record, including nine straight wins against AP-ranked opponents and a 3-0 record in College Football Playoff games.
The matchup against Penn State, led by head coach James Franklin, also made history as it guaranteed a Black coach would advance to the CFP National Championship. Reflecting on the significance of the game, Franklin drew parallels to Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith facing off in Super Bowl XLI, the first NFL championship to feature two Black head coaches.
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“I remember thinking, as a coach, how significant that was in the profession and how significant that was for young coaches coming up,” Franklin said earlier in the week. “I also remember the conversations about whether it would lead to more opportunities for others.”
Notre Dame now awaits the winner of the Cotton Bowl matchup between Ohio State and Texas to determine its opponent in the championship game, scheduled for Monday, Jan. 20, in Atlanta.
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