"We had routine" - When Marcus Freeman shared high standards set by his father

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman faced questions about opting to take a field goal instead of attempting to score a touchdown with 9:27 left in the national championship game against eventual winners, the Ohio State Buckeyes, 34-23. Despite not being able to win Notre Dame's first title since 1988, the Fighting Irish coach has been hailed by fans for reviving the team.

Off the gridiron, during a 2023 segment of ESPN's "College Football," Freeman who was raised in Dayton, Ohio spoke about the high standards set by his father, Michael Freeman, when he was a child (1:00).

"With my father being in the military," Marcus Freeman said, "we had routine, we had structure and part of those days was him waking me and my brother up at 5-something in the morning and running in place while he finished his work out and then we began our work out. Those are memories that will last forever."

The Fighting Irish coach is the second-born of his father, Michael Freeman, and his mother, Chong Freeman who is from South Korea. His mother met his father when he was stationed at the Osan Air Base in the 1970s.

How Marcus Freeman dealt with the color question in CFP

In the lead-up to the Orange Bowl between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Penn State Nittany Lions, coach Marcus Freeman and coach James Franklin were battling for more than a place in the national championship game. One of them was going to be the first Black coach to lead an FBS team to the national championship game, and Freeman addressed the question in emphatic fashion during his pregame news conference.

"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. The evidence of your work should."

After beating the Nittany Lions 27-24, the charismatic Freeman once again earned the applause of the fans inside the Hard Rock Stadium when he was asked about being the first Black coach in the national championship game during an on-field interview.

"I've said this before, I don't ever want to take attention away from the team," Freeman said. "It is an honor, and I hope all coaches, minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn't matter, (I hope) great people continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this. But this ain't about me, this is about us."

Despite not winning the national championship on Monday, Marcus Freeman still made history as the first African-American and Asian coach to lead an FBS team to the national championship game.