Notre Dame's Catholic Coach Who Reinstated Game Day Mass Leads Fighting Irish to NCAA Playoffs

Rally Sons of Notre Dame, the university is headed to the NCAA playoffs!

No.7 the Fighting Irish will face No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers on Friday, December 20, in the House that Rockne Built. Kickoff is planned for 8:00 p.m. EST.

No one could have predicted this matchup at the start of the 2024 season. While the academic rigor of the university is top-tier, let’s get a closer look at the man who currently leads the team: Coach Marcus Freeman.

In an unprecedented manner, Brian Kelly, previous head coach of the Irish, left the team right before they were to play in the Jan 1, 2022 Fiesta Bowl to be the new head coach at Louisiana State University. This news sent shockwaves, not only to the Notre Dame family but the college football world. In comes Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator for the Irish, who got the ultimate promotion to head coach in December 2021, week 13 of the season.

There are beloved football game day traditions on college campuses that make each atmosphere unique. Aside from trumpets in the Dome, eating steak sandwiches from the Knights of Columbus, and various rounds of touchdown pushups, there are alternate traditions our players take part in, and I don’t just mean hitting the precious “Play Like a Champion Today” sign.

Coach Freeman’s week one priority was reinstating a beloved tradition: Game day Mass and the player walk from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart to Notre Dame Stadium.

In the famous player walk, the marching band and fans line up on the opposite sides of the path to cheer on our athletes as the team exits through the door that reads,

“God, Country, Notre Dame, In Glory Everlasting.”

Under the leadership of Coach Brian Kelly, the tradition was moved to the night before.

In a 2022 interview with the National Catholic Register, Freeman, a Catholic convert states,

“So, to me, what better time is there to go have Mass? What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close to God as you can?” He continues, “You go to Mass, and our entire team goes to Mass, Catholic or not Catholic. And you realize that we are all embracing and believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior. That’s important for me. I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ.”

Coach Freeman was baptized into the Catholic Church and received his first Holy Communion and the sacrament of Confirmation in 2022. The announcement was posted in the September 11, 2022 bulletin of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger, Indiana. Coach Freeman’s wife, Joanna is Catholic, as are their six children.

Freeman was just named a George Munger College Coach of the Year Semifinalist after three seasons of a 30-9 record and playoff appearance.

In a blog posted on Dec. 18, 2024, for The Players Tribune, Irish Quarterback Senior Riley Leonard #13, reflected on his time at Notre Dame, the brotherhood on the team, and his faith.

“One of my favorite Bible verses, Matthew 23:12, says: ‘Those who exalt themselves or praise themselves will be humbled, but those who humble themselves will be praised.’ I wear those words on my wrist every game.”

As for our upcoming game under the Friday night lights, it feels good knowing Our Lady’s University is home to both a prestigious academic curriculum and a football program with a Catholic head coach who is “all in,” at least for the next six years.