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Korean-American coach Marcus Freeman leads Notre Dame to 2025 CFP final

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The Notre Dame University football team, led by Korean-American head coach Marcus Freeman (39), has made headlines by advancing to the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship finals. Freeman is particularly notable for being the first Black and Asian head coach to lead a team to the championship game.

In the semifinals held at the Orange Bowl on January 9, Notre Dame defeated Penn State 27-24 to secure their final spot. The championship game will take place on January 20 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where they will face Ohio State.

If Notre Dame clinches the championship this year, it will mark their return to the national throne 37 years after their 11th national title in 1988.

Marcus Freeman [Reuters]

According to a recent report by NBC News, Coach Freeman, who leads Notre Dame, was born to a U.S. Army veteran father and a Korean mother. He grew up on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Freeman shared that he did not know much about his mother’s background as a Korean immigrant when he was younger. However, later on, he learned and came to understand his mother’s background and his heritage.

“I embraced my Korean background. I did Taekwondo, which is a Korean martial art, growing up,” Freeman said.  He added, “From my father, a former soldier, I learned discipline, and from my immigrant mother, I learned selflessness.”

From 2004 to 2008, Freeman played as a linebacker for the Ohio State University football team. In the 2009 NFL Draft, he was selected by the Chicago Bears.

He subsequently played in the NFL for one year with teams including the Bears, the Buffalo Bills, and the Houston Texans. Freeman began his coaching career in 2010, starting with his alma mater, Ohio State, before moving on to Purdue University and the University of Cincinnati.

In 2021, he joined Notre Dame as the defensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach in less than a year.

BY KYEONGJUN KIM   [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]