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.
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.
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