“Maurice and I worked together at Southwest High in Macon. I knew he was a coach but I didn’t deal with him very much. We started dating when he left to go to Brunswick. We had a long distance relationship for a few years. I had an idea of what I was getting into. But there are some things you just don’t know until you get married,” laughs Christine Freeman, the wife of Brooks County High head football coach Maurice Freeman.
Christine and Maurice dated for two years – one year while she was in Macon and he was in Brunswick, and another year while both were in Brunswick. After dating for two years, she and Maurice married. Between the two of them, they brought five children into the marriage – three belonged to Maurice while two were Christine’s. Ten years later, all the kids are out of the house except for Christine’s 16-year-old daughter, who plays softball at Brooks County High.
Once the Freemans moved to Quitman, Christine gained a new perspective on the life of a coach’s wife. At Brunswick, Maurice had experienced a degree of success: six total seasons, five of which were winning seasons, and four playoff appearances. At Brooks, however, Maurice elevated the Trojans’ program into a perennial state power. “The demands on his time changed for the better when we came to Brooks County. Quitman is his home and the support he gets from the community is beyond what he received in Brunswick,” she says.
Being the wife of a head coach is always easier when the team is winning. And the Brooks County Trojans have certainly won a lot of games since Maurice returned to Quitman in 2008. “It’s always interesting to me that people know me but I don’t know them. I’ve gotten used to that. The downside is when you’re in the stands. I try to sit away from the crowd and the negativity if we aren’t playing well. Of course it hasn’t been as bad at Brooks County because Maurice has had a lot of success here,” states Christine.
The biggest challenge of being a coach’s wife is, of course, the busyness of football season. Time is at a premium and football coaches just aren’t around as much as they would like to be. Because her daughter plays softball in the fall and her husband coaches football during the same time of the year, things can get hectic – and lonely – for Christine. “He’s not available for a lot of things. Over the years, I’ve learned not to get caught up in all of that. August and September are very long for me. I try to attend as many of my daughter’s games as I can and I also go to his games. You do what you have to do,” she says.
Christine takes a conservative approach to her involvement with the football team. Some coaches’ wives are very involved in the team, others are not. Christine says she gets as involved as Coach Freeman needs her to. “He’s doing his job and if he needs me for something, he’ll let me know. I’m there to support him any way he needs me to. I’m involved but I also try to stay out of the way,” she states.
Sidebar:
So what advice would Christine Freeman give to a young coach’s wife? “Get used to him being gone during the football season. It’s become a year ‘round sport. There are lots of long days, early mornings, and late nights. They break down film on the weekend and stay very busy. Also, always attend the games and support your husband as much as you can. You have to make the time to be there. That’s when you spend a lot of time together, when you’re at the games watching him on the field.”
Special Feature/South Georgia/November 2015
Christine Freeman
Brooks County High School
Quitman, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Photography by Lindsi Jones
Christine Freeman: ‘I’m involved as much as he needs me involved’
