The Notre Dame student government association held a student-only “Leadership, Family and Football” lecture with the University’s Dick Corbett head football coach Marcus Freeman and James E. Rohr vice president and director of athletics Pete Bevacqua.
The event took place Wednesday evening in DeBartolo Hall, where Bevacqua asked Freeman a series of questions about his life to inform students on how to be successful. Bevacqua began with asking Freeman about the mentors in his life and how their impact allowed him to be where he is today.
Freeman mentioned that his family and former The Ohio State University coach impacted him heavily. He described how his mother’s selfless behavior allowed him to always make decisions that were the best for the team.
“You don’t appreciate some of the people that are in your lives in the present, but as you get older, you look back and you’re grateful for the many lessons that you observe,” Freeman said.
Freeman stated that he originally never wanted to be a coach, but after finding out that his heart condition would prevent him from playing football, he learned to embrace the unpredictability of life. He mentioned relying on relationships to get through challenges and developing a passion for the game of football, in which he realized that coaching was about helping other people have success.
“I can go on and on about the unpredictable moments that have happened in my life, but you’re all gonna be okay. You put your head down, you go to work and then figure it out … you rely on your faith. You rely on the people you really value and trust that time heals everything,” Freeman explained.
Bevacqua then asked Freeman how a successful person like himself dealt with the losses, such as to Marshall University and Northern Illinois University (NIU).
Following Marshall University, Freeman said he realized that he didn’t know how to win and promised himself that he would not lose another game.
Leave a Reply