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WATCH: Marcus Freeman delivers passionate speech after Notre Dame's win over Cal

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•09/17/22•

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notre dame marcus freeman
Marcus Freeman is in his first season as the Notre Dame head coach. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

It was an emotional day for Marcus Freeman, who notched his first win as Notre Dame head coach when the Fighting Irish defeated Cal. After the game, though, he made sure to offer a passionate message for his players.

Freeman addressed the Fighting Irish in the locker room after a back-and-forth 24-17 win at Notre Dame Stadium Saturday afternoon. After two straight losses to start the year, Notre Dame got into the win column for the first time during Freeman’s tenure.

In his speech, he stressed putting in the work in practice to get more wins to keep feeling what they felt after beating the Golden Bears.

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“I’ll tell you what, man, I’m so proud of you all. You all deserve this,” Freeman said. “Your hard work, your practice habits, the sacrifice you put in. You all deserve this, man, you deserve this feeling. And this is why we put the work in practice because this is the greatest feeling in the world. … This right here, what you’re feeling right now, it’s the greatest feeling in the world.

“That’s why we’ve got to prepare the right way. We get as our works deserve, man. You prepare a little bit harder — we’ve got work to do. We know that. But this is what you get when you prepare the right way, man. I’m so proud of you guys, man.”

Marcus Freeman reacts to first win as Notre Dame head coach

It came down to the final play after a late penalty and a replay review, but Marcus Freeman did it. He got his first win as Notre Dame head coach — and expressed the thoughts of many Fighting Irish fans afterward.

“Phew,” he said to start his postgame interview.

The Fighting Irish held on for a 24-17 victory over Cal at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday after the Golden Bears’ Hail mary attempt fell incomplete after what felt like an eternity. But finally, after three games at the helm — counting last year’s bowl game — Freeman has a victory to his name.

But he made sure to credit the people who helped him get to this point after notching that first win.

“This is for this place,” he told NBC’s Zora Stephenson. “This is for the University of Notre Dame, this is for these kids who just work their tails off. I’m so happy for them and proud of them. This is going to be one of many to come.”