It’s become a cliché to say that “behind every great man is a woman.” And yet, as Peggy Noonan wrote in a recent column, “Clichéd phrases endure for a reason. Don’t be embarrassed by them. The other night a big-brained writer texted to tell me about a packed theater as the movie neared its end. ‘You could’ve heard a pin drop.’ Some genius made that up centuries ago, and people still use it because it says it all.”
And in 2025, it still says it all to say that truly, behind every great man is a woman. And behind Marcus Freeman, the head coach of the Notre Dame football team and the sport’s man of the hour, is a beautiful and dedicated wife and mom of six.
Long before Coach Freeman was making millions, Joanna had to support her family by juggling multiple jobs while having six children in a decade. Eventually, when Marcus was offered a job that would have geographically split up the family, Joanna quit her jobs to move with him. “If you’re going to do this, we’re going to do this together,” she told him.
“She’s loyal to her family and people that she loves,” Marcus has said of her. “She has the most pure heart.”
He went on to bigger and bigger successes, eventually landing the enviable job of head coach at Notre Dame, leading them to a victory in this year’s Orange Bowl and into the championship next week. But as Sports Illustrated put it, “Marcus Freeman’s meteoric rise at just 39 years old doesn’t happen without Joanna.”
Neither, most likely, would have his decision to convert to Catholicism and reinstate the tradition of players attending Mass before each game for the first time in more than a decade. Joanna was already a practicing Catholic and raising the kids in the faith. Does anyone doubt her influence?
“[W]hat better time is there to go have Mass?” he told this publication in an interview after the decision. “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?”
Freeman continued, “That’s important for me. I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ.”
Marcus and Joanna are also a testament to the beauty of young marriage. By marrying in their 20s, they were able to grow their family and successes concurrently — a rarity in today’s age. In Joanna’s words, “We were really young when we met, and in a lot of ways, we really grew and matured into adults together.”
The example of Marcus and Joanna is one of mutual trust on the winding path that is marriage. Her willingness to juggle multiple jobs — and ultimately step away from them — so her husband could pursue his dream, makes their story all the sweeter. Their success was born in a period of struggle, sustained by mutual trust and trust in God.
As Brad Wilcox, author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization, has said:
“[T]he truth is that marriage is a path to financial security and happiness for most Americans. If this truth catches on in the hearts and minds of the general public, especially young adults, and marriage begins to gain greater cultural respect, everyone will benefit — including the least advantaged Americans.”
Young marriage is a seemingly more common story among athletes, who tend to peak in their prime and at an age when many men aren’t even thinking about settling down. LeBron James, Steph Curry and Clayton Kershaw are just a few of the countless famous athletes who married high school sweethearts and credit their success to the women (literally) cheering them on.
To be sure, marriage as a path to financial security doesn’t typically come with a nine-million-dollar-a-year guarantee. The financial turbulence of young marriage doesn’t usually end with major-league success.
But when it does, it’s even more inspiring when it happens to a couple like Marcus and Joanna Freeman, who started together from square one. Those success stories almost always involve a woman who is behind the scenes, or in Joanna’s case, on the sidelines quite literally, putting her family first. Maybe that’s the kind of thing that makes feminists skin crawl, to borrow another cliché. But it’s one that makes the rest of us smile.
