Ask a college football fan, ‘who was the first Black coach at Notre Dame.’ You’ll likely get a facial expression which suggests they didn’t know Notre Dame ever had a Black coach until Marcus Freeman.
The answer is Tyrone Willingham. He had been Stanford’s head coach and would later coach the University of Washington.
He wasn’t the first choice for the Notre Dame job following Bob Davie’s firing. George O’Leary was hired after a successful stint at Georgia Tech.
But O’Leary told several fibs on his resume and resigned before coaching a down. That opened the door for Willingham, who was named national coach of the year after becoming the first coach in Notre Dame history to win 10 games in his first season.
He was dumped following the 2004 season with an overall 21-15 record because Athletic Director Kevin White, and Notre Dame big-money boosters, felt the team should be competing for a national championship.
White then hired one of the worst coaches in Notre Dame history – Charlie Weis, who went 41-49 over five seasons.
Freeman’s Fighting Irish will face head coach James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions in a College Football Playoff semifinal game on Thursday, January 9, 2025.
This means a Black head coach will lead a team into the national championship game for the first time since the Bowl Championship Series rankings or a true playoff format was adopted.
Willingham’s opinion on a Black coach competing to win a national title is vital in this discussion.
“It’s a first, and we should celebrate all firsts as long as they’re positive,” Willingham told the ESPN website Andscape.
“It’s an accomplishment for us as African Americans, especially if you know anything about history. When I started coaching, there may have been one African American coach on a staff. Notice I said, ‘may have.’”
Both Freeman and Franklin haven’t avoided the topic during respective interviews
“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for so many others that look like you, and I don’t take that for granted,” Freeman told ESPN. “I’m going to work tirelessly to be the best version of me, and it’s great, because even the guys in our program can understand, ‘Don’t put a ceiling on what you can be and what you can do.’
There were six Black head coaches in college football in 2007 when Black head coaches Tony Dungy (Indianapolis) and Lovie Smith (Chicago) faced one another in the Super Bowl.
There are now 16 Black head coaches at the college level, which Franklin notes as progress.
“Does this create opportunities for more guys to get in front of athletic directors? I hope so. You just want an opportunity, and you want to be able to earn it through your work and through your actions. I take a lot of pride in it,” Franklin said.
Only one team can win, but Black America is already a winner.
The Reid Roundup
Both Marcus Freeman and James Franklin are bi-racial. Franklin’s mother is white, and his father is African American. Freeman’s mother is Korean, and his father is Black… Franklin was the first Black head coach in any sport at Vanderbilt…Of the 14 NFL playoff teams, half have starting Black QBs. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City; C.J. Stroud, Houston; Lamar Jackson, Baltimore; Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh; Jordan Love, Green Bay; Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia; Jayden Daniels, Washington…The New York Times first 2025 NFL mock draft top four: QB Cam Ward, Tennessee; OT Will Campbell, Cleveland; QB Shedeur Sanders, New York Giants; DB/WR Travis Hunter, New England. The NYT mock has WR Luther Burden III going 17th to Cincinnati…St. Louisan Bradley Beal scored 25 points off the bench in a Monday night victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the first time in his career he was a non-starter…After blocking a trade to the Houston Astros, free agent Nolan Arenado says he would approve a trade to the Boston. Red Sox second baseman Vaughn Grissom could be part of the deal…The Chicago Cubs are reportedly interested in signing free-agent pitcher Jack Flaherty. Other suitors include the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays.