Before Notre Dame and Marcus Freeman faced off against Penn State and James Franklin, fans were buzzing over the fact that no matter who won, a Black head coach would make the college football championship game for the first time in FBS history.
Of course, there were those who whined “Stop making it about race,” favoring assimilation over celebrating history.
But for fans of a darker shade, this game was long overdue and highly anticipated for it would eliminate another barrier that many had fought so long to overcome.
And it would happen at two traditional powerhouse institutions in college football history.
Franklin was the first Black coach in Penn State football history; Freeman was Notre Dame’s second Black football coach after Tyrone Willingham.
In the end, Notre Dame kicked a field goal with under 10 seconds left to seal the game and advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
That victory made Freeman the history maker, forever cemented in college football history.
And if he wins on Monday night, Freeman will forever be known as the first Black head coach to win a national championship in FBS history.
But Freeman’s Orange Bowl win also sparked a debate about racial identity after his take on the history-making moment.
Marcus Freeman’s father is Black and his mother is Korean, a combination commonly referred to as “Blasian.” It’s easy to tell by his physical attributes and jokes about having “good hair.”
Those of us who fall in this category can easily identify with Freeman and take pride in him and ourselves.
But it also leads to a question of identity politics and how you identify yourself, which can be tricky because you don’t want to offend one side of your family while identifying with the other.
That’s the slippery slope Freeman has had to navigate in life, particularly as he’s made his incredible run to history in only three short years at Notre Dame.
When asked about being the first Black head coach to make the championship before the Orange Bowl, Freeman acknowledged it without dwelling on it
“Very grateful,” said Freeman. “It’s a reminder that you are a representation for many others and many of our players that look the same way I do. Your color shouldn’t matter, right, the evidence of your work should. But it takes everybody.”
For most Black people, Freeman represents hope and shows how success is possible when given access and opportunity. Yet some Black people criticize Freeman as they feel he’s slighting his Blackness in favor of appeasing a wider audience in the vein of Tiger Woods or Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
For Black coaches, he gives them hope that they too can ascend to his level if given a chance.
“It’s a really, really massive deal,” said Archie McDaniel, who coaches linebackers at Illinois and serves as president of the Minority Coaches Advancement Association, in an interview with The Athletic. “For me personally, it’s monumental.”
White audiences have split as well.
Some respect and celebrate the history he’s making. Others have used his comments as fodder to fuel the anti-Blackness movement that has swept the nation through the faux-outrage attacks on affirmative action, DEI, Black history and education in general.
It’s no coincidence that Freeman’s comments and success haven’t yielded any foolish “he’s a DEI hire” reactions from white critics fueling culture wars for he hasn’t promoted his Blackness or taken a political stance.
The racial identity debate reignited after Notre Dame’s victory in the Orange Bowl when he was asked about being the first Black head coach to make the National Championship.
“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,” said Freeman.
Freeman was humble in his response, stating he didn’t want to be a distraction for the team which is admirable and understandable. As a coach, you always want to be pro-team.
As an individual, Freeman is in a position that some don’t feel comfortable in, and that’s understandable too.
As the face of one of the most storied programs at one of the country’s most revered institutions, Freeman has to find a balance between his racial identity and his professional one.
Some are comfortable in that role, like Dawn Staley. Others let identity politics take a backseat to their position and just do the work that needs to be done without claiming sides.
It’s a tricky situation, especially in today’s politically charged environment, one that will only become more acutely divided after Monday’s inauguration.
We should all support Freeman because he doesn’t deny who he is and is opening doors by being a representation of success.
And representation matters, inspires and teaches, which is why it’s so important to highlight his historic racial/cultural success.
Freeman acknowledged this importance in a letter he penned for The Player’s Tribune after he was given the reins at Notre Dame in December 2021.
“Being a part of this coalition has been an important reminder that: Hey, you are a representation of a lot of people. And that’s what I want to be. I want to be a representation, but also more than that I want to be a demonstration,” Freeman wrote about being a member of The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches. “I want to be a demonstration of what someone can do, and the level they can do it at, if they are given the OPPORTUNITY. Because that’s what is needed: opportunity. We need more minorities to get the opportunity to interview — and we need more minorities to get the opportunity to do a job that they can have success in.”
Marcus Freeman received the opportunity bestowed on only one other Black coach, and because he was experienced, trained and ready, he’s one win away from the level of success only coaches like John Thompson at Georgetown, Carolyn Peck at Purdue, Mike London at Richmond and C. Vivian Stringer and John Chaney at Cheyney State have had.
If Freeman ends up winning a championship, he will join those firsts in college sports history.
And if he does, and when “that” question is asked, he might not give the answer that will make everyone happy.
But those of us in the know will understand and will proudly celebrate his history-making moment with him for being the first Black, Asian and Blasian to do so.
