Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and his wife Joanna Freeman have a busy life with six children: Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri and Rocco. During an interview on the “Outta Pocket with RG3” podcast, Marcus praised his wife, admitting that she is sometimes a “single parent” given his responsibilities as a college football coach. 

The Notre Dame coach also labeled Joanna as the “most unselfish wife in the world.”

“To do what I do, you have to have the most unselfish wife in the world,” Marcus explained during the Dec. 10, 2024, interview on Robert Griffin III’s podcast. “Like, a lot of times she is a single parent. And the other part is that I try to blend. 

“There’s no balance. There is not a balance being a head coach and being a husband and father. 

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and wife Joanna sit courtside.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

“So, I try to blend my family with our football family as much as I can,” Marcus continued. “My wife can bring two kids and just let them run around at practice. …I want our players to see me as a father and husband.”

It is actually another school in the College Football Playoff that deserves credit for connecting Marcus and his wife. Marcus was a star linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes when he met Joanna, who was a news reporter in Columbus, Ohio, per Yahoo Sports. 

“We don’t have a super romantic love story,” Joanna told Yahoo Sports in Dec. 2021. “We had a lot of breakups and make-ups. We fell hard. 

“We fell fast. We were really young when we met, and a lot of ways, we really grew and matured into adults together.”