Marcus Freeman’s Travel Blog – Day 1

Hey Irish Nation!

This is Katy Lonergan. I serve as the Associate Athletics Director for Strategic and Football Communications here at Notre Dame. I am going to take you on an inside journey with Dick Corbett Head Coach Marcus Freeman as he travels around different parts of the country visiting with Notre Dame Alumni Clubs, representing Notre Dame Football at some various fundraising events and also making an effort to sneak in some professional development as he is always seeking to “Challenge Everything.”

During the latter part of April and the month of May, the 10 full time assistant coaches are out on the road recruiting, but NCAA rules do not allow the head coach to go out on the road to recruit during that period, so Coach Freeman sets aside this time of the year to engage with the Notre Dame community and I am going to do my best to take you along for the ride with him!

Tuesday, May 2

8:00 a.m.

We start this week’s travels by departing South Bend at 8 a.m., heading to Baltimore to visit our partner Under Armour at their headquarters. Coach Freeman has not had the opportunity to see the UA home and is very much looking forward to the visit. Joining us on the trip is his wife, Joanna.

10:00 a.m.

We arrive in Baltimore and are greeted at the airport by Under Armour marketing executive Charece Williams. Charece has previously visited Notre Dame’s campus and was instrumental in creative Coach Freeman’s schedule for the day–and it was robust!

Our first stop was Under Armour’s new digs. While not yet complete, the new location is massive and impressive. It even comes with a full football field, including stands, where they plan to host local and national high school games in the future.

UA founder and executive chairman Kevin Plank was a fantastic host all day, and immediately gave us a tour of the new facility and introduced us to some UA staff who showed us how some of their products go through testing, as they are continually trying to introduce more products to their line and improve and evolve their current items.

 

Next up, Coach Freeman was able to sit down with members of the product design team and provide feedback and guidance on future collections for both sideline wear and gear the players would wear both in season and away from the field in casual settings. Needless to say, we think our coach has some great style and he really enjoyed this part of the day! From my POV it was fun to see the designers in action. They had clothes prepared to show him, both in person and via designs and it was a very unique experience for him as he is usually locked into watching film at this time of his normal daily routine! This is also where Joanna played a valuable role because Coach Freeman admitted to the group that she is who usually picks out his outfits–so for all of you fans who love his style–let’s give credit where credit is due!

 

12:15 p.m.

Moving along, Coach Freeman had the opportunity to speak to a group of UA employees as the company was kicking off its celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The group was going to take part in a screening of a new documentary on NBA player Jeremy Lin called 38 at the Garden. UA asked Coach Freeman to say a few words about his pride in his Korean heritage prior to the screening and he was more than happy to do so as sharing his pride in both his Asian and African-American heritage is very important to him.

1:30 p.m.

Following lunch at the new facility, we headed over to the original Under Armour complex at Tide Point for the afternoon. It was a whirlwind of tours, marketing pitches and introductions to UA staffers, including new CEO Stephanie Linnartz. The crown jewel moment of the afternoon was UA Chairman of the Board, Kevin McDermond, going through a ‘Make you Famous’ presentation. It was electric and easily the highlight of the visit! Take a look!

4:00 p.m.

While the time at Under Armour was now over, our day was only halfway done! We went back to the airport to travel to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for our next stop. The break gives Coach Freeman and Joanna a chance to check in and see how their six kids are doing. That is the most difficult part of these trips for them, the time away from their kids. But they take as many opportunities as possible to Facetime and call to check in!

And don’t think because Coach Freeman cannot go out on the road recruiting he takes a break from that – he is taking calls from recruits and touching base with his staff at every available opportunity!

 

6:00 p.m.

As I mentioned in the opening, visiting award-winning Notre Dame Alumni Clubs is a huge part of the month of May for Coach Freeman and the first of six club visits came in Gettysburg. It was easy to see why Gettysburg is considered one of the finest clubs across as they were great hosts! Gettysburg president, Linda Masenheimer, ran the event to perfection.

The first 30 minutes serves as a “VIP” meet and greet. Coach Freeman has the chance to sign memorabilia and take pictures with those club members. Following the meet and greet and some time for interviews with the local media, we joined the club for dinner. One unique thing about this dinner was the Gettysburg Club invited other ND clubs from the area to join. In all, seven ND Clubs had members in attendance. It was a really energetic group to spend time with as we kicked off this tour!

A fireside chat hosted by Dolly Duffy, Executive Director of the Notre Dame Alumni Association, and featuring Coach Freeman followed dinner. This is what makes these events so special. Dolly is a fantastic facilitator of conversation and she and Coach Freeman make the event a must-see experience for all. After their chat, we open the mic up for questions from the audience and you can imagine how the ND crowd especially enjoys this part of the program! I will take guesses on the top three questions??? If you guessed Transfer portal, NIL and Sam Hartman–you won!

 

8:00 p.m.

The first of six ND Alumni Club events has commenced and we are heading back to the airport. Dolly will join us for the next few days as we head on to more club events. The conversation in the car and then the plane centered around how great of an event the Gettysburg club hosted and how fun it is to meet different Irish alumni and fans across the country.

Coach Freeman was given a beautiful framed piece of artwork showcasing the Notre Dame campus. As soon as we return to South Bend, we have to find a place in his office to hang it!

 

10:00 p.m.

We touched down in Columbia, South Carolina to end the 14-hour day! Stay tuned for more as Coach Freeman might just be coming to a city near you this month!

Click here for updates on Days 2 and 3 of our trip. For updates on Days 4 and 5, click here.

Experience Notre Dame Football at home in 2023!

In addition to securing seats for all home games, season ticket members receive priority access to request away game tickets, post-season bowl game tickets and more! If you’re interested in becoming a new season ticket member, please click here.