With UConn’s 75-60 win over Purdue in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, the 2023-24 college basketball season is complete. Once the clock hit zero, the confetti dropped, the trophy was presented, and the net was cut down. But there still was one more piece of business to take care, and that’s the montage that has closed every tournament since 1987 set to the now-classic “One Shining Moment”:
You’ll notice the severe lack of Notre Dame in this montage because the Irish weren’t anywhere close to being a tournament team this season. [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] took over the program, and he had to scramble just to assemble a roster for the season from the moment he was hired.
Fortunately, all signs point to the Irish heading in the right direction. It might take at least another season before the Irish find themselves back in this montage, but they have the right guy at the helm, and he will rebuild the program into something South Bend can be proud of.
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If you’re any kind of college sports fan you’re familiar with the song “One Shining Moment” that is played each year as college basketball’s national championship game concludes. It’s cheesy but enjoyable as it recaps all the highs and lows of the NCAA Tournament in roughly three minutes.
What if college football had a similar type thing for bowl season?
Well ask and you shall receive.
Thanks to college football fan Nathan Grella we now have exactly that.
Grella put together highlights from the last few weeks of bowl games and set it to “One Shining Moment”. Sure, the lyrics don’t fit quite right when the song is about basketball and we’re watching football bowl games but Nathan hit it out of the park regardless.
Is the song-and-montage a little on the corny side? Sure, but there are plenty of other sports traditions that could be described that way. There’s just something about the way it sums up the weeks of the NCAA Tournament filled with emotion, roller-coaster rides and David/Goliath storylines that leaves you with that perfect satisfying final taste of one of sports’ greatest events.
We here at FTW like to rank stuff, so I’m ranking every single One Shining Moment since it began ending the tourney in 1987. My criteria? The production itself, the use of highlights and music and whether it had that overall thrilling feel. (UPDATE: We’ve ranked the 2023 version).
So, the ball is tipped, and here we are:
35. 2002
The highlights aren’t the problem. It’s all those televisions. Too. Many. Televisions. Not to mention a heavy dose of special effects. I like my OSM simple and unadulterated.
34. 2007
Something about this one doesn’t do anything for me. Even audio from Gus Johnson didn’t raise my heart rate much.
33. 1988
This was still in the early days of the highlight reel, so I’m betting producers were still learning what worked. Too many bench shots, not enough game highlights. Larry Brown getting pumped was fun to see though.
32. 2000
Good news: A new, improved version of the song performed by writer David Barrett. Bad news: A few too many slow-mo shots and special effects — a lot of light-up basketballs — for my taste.
31. 1991
Not all that thrilling.
30. 1997
Same.
29. 2004
Just a few too many reaction shots.
28. 2012
Other than Wisconsin players “riding in” and President Obama’s cameo, I didn’t think this one was all that great. Maybe it was just that kind of tournament?
27. 2009
I’m not sure what it is, but this one was just okay. Lots of young Blake Griffin though.
26. 1989
I did enjoy Bobby Knight messing with someone (I think that’s the late Don Haskins?) at the 0:18 mark.
25. 1992
The Christian Laettner shot is in there, and I think that’s Travis Best getting a slap on “you always did your best.”
24. 1999
Solid, but not the greatest.
23. 1995
Lots of tears. That’s not a bad thing. Also: A Rasheed Wallace near-fight.
22. 2010
Okay, let’s talk about Jennifer Hudson’s much-panned version. Here’s a hot take: It’s actually not that bad. Purists (including myself) can argue it’s Luther Vandross or bust, but her performance gave me a few goosebump moments. The Gordon Heyward half-court miss by a foot was handled beautifully.
21. 2011
I believe that’s the first time we’ve seen cameras in the locker room. Pretty cool.
20. 1996
Points for including Al McGuire dancing to “The ‘Cuse is in the house.”
19. 2001
I like the choice to start out with Shane Battier with the championship trophy and then work backwards. Still a little heavy on the computer effects.
18. 1993
The opening shots of quirky fans, mascots and bands is worth the price of admission.
17. 1990
The Bo Kimble left-handed free throw to honor Hank Gathers to the “you reach deep inside” lyric is perfect.
16. 2017
Some great stuff: A solid intro, a fantastic little dumping-water-on-the-coach montage, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss cheering on Northwestern. I would have preferred more of the audio from the booth during the guitar solo and less during the verses, but overall it’s a good one — even if there wasn’t much the editors could do with a sloppy championship game.
15. 2019
As you know from this list, I like audio from the booth mixed in with highlights, but I’d say there was a little too much of it. One of the best things is just hearing Luther croon. That said, I love the intro with its dunk and Michigan scream and using the extremely tall Tacko Fall for “the time is short” lyric. Somehow, including the Chuma Okeke injury and Bruce Pearl reaction worked, too.
14. 2005
If I’m not mistaken, it’s the first time we’ve heard audio from the booth used, a simple but huge innovation to add to the experience. And look! There’s Nick Lachey! Ashley Judd! Bill Murray!
13. 1998
Bryce Drew helps.
12. 2016
I keep going back and forth with this version. One one hand, I enjoyed the voiceovers of some coaches’ locker room speeches at the beginning. On the other, there’ a ton of on-court action and fewer cutaways to scenes off of it (I loved the quick locker-room montage). But there were so many incredible shots made in 2016, including Kris Jenkins’, that it was the right call to stick with a highlights-heavy package. This belongs in the top 10. BONUS: This appears to be Ne-Yo’s alternate version with a Villanova-centered reel (hat tip to Crossing Broad):
11 (tied). 2014
11 (tied). 2015
Both the 2014 and 2015 editions reflect the era we’re in — lots of viral moments (Georgia State’s Ron and R.J. Hunter, the Mercer dance) to go along with the action on the court. Fantastic. I couldn’t decide which one was better.
10. 2022
I got worried during the intro, when the opening was mostly covered up by announcer commentary — I like hearing the voices from the booth, but not so much that it covers up those iconic chords. But then this one settled in and included a lot of great slow-mo footage, as well as the Indiana cheerleader saving a ball from the top of the backboard. I also liked the choice to do a “too small” taunt coupled with the “feel the wind in your face” lyric. A top-10 for sure.
9. 1994
I watched each One Shining Moment in chronological order, so hearing the silky voice of Teddy Pendergrass greeting me was a joy (absolutely zero offense to Barrett, but who doesn’t love Pendergrass?). The series of hands doing “No. 1” during the opening was pretty cool too.
8. 2018
I loved this one! The opening montage got me right away: Some slow-mo, some audio of locker room speeches and broadcast clips, the meta moment of the UMBC player who wanted to be in the One Shining Moment video, followed by highlights punctuated by the voice of Turner and CBS announcers. Well done all around.
7. 2008
Maybe it was the star power of the ’08 tournament itself (Steph Curry, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love) or the big shots (Mario Chalmers to the rescue for Kansas!) or even the use of pre-game huddle audio that makes this one a top-five candidate.
I REALLY liked this year’s. A great balance of some audio from the broadcasts with the action, some nods to Jim Nantz calling his last Final Four, a smattering of highlights that matched the rhythm of the song. Solid effort all around and worthy of being top-10.
5. 2021
Maybe it’s because we waited SO long for it. Or maybe it’s the way producers handled the intro — with no cheerleaders and bands, there was a terrific montage of drone shots of the arenas around Indianapolis where this tournament was played, along with some solid dancing/celebrating crowd shots. But there are so many reasons why this is a top-five OSM: a near-perfect balance of highlights, calls from the booths and room for the song to breathe, a nod to the retiring Roy Williams, and the use of some beautiful slow-motion.
4. 1987
The first-ever OSM doesn’t have one-tenth of today’s production values, but it packs a certain power punch with its simplicity. There’s a great montage of angry coaches over the guitar solo and the first glimpses of familiar visual matches with the lyrics (“Feel the beat of your heart/feel the wind in your face”). It’s capped off by Keith Smart’s all-time great shot. It’s hard to get it right the first time, but this one did.
3. 2006
One Shining Moment is all about the highest of highs and lowest of lows. You’ve got George Mason celebrating and Adam Morrison sobbing. You’ve got lots and lots of Joakim Noah and one perfect crane shot of the forward leading Florida fans in a Gator Chomp. This one feels like a great symphony.
2. 2003
It’s not just because this is Vandross’s first appearance. It feels like this is where OSM hit its stride. No bells and whistles, just a solid blend of highlights, excitement and emotion.
1. 2013
This one’s got it all: Luther, the perfect opening montage filled with audio/video from huddles and cinematic moments mixed with thrilling highlights. There’s even Jim Larranaga’s “Muhammad Ali!” locker room speech to Miami players. If you’re putting a One Shining Moment into a time capsule, this is the one.
The wonderful NCAA Tournament tradition continues.
Notre Dame fans were disenchanted by their team’s season, but they could make up for it with the craziness that is the NCAA Tournament. March Madness lived up to its name with a vengeance this year, and people couldn’t get enough. But when it all was over and UConn was the final team standing, the time came for the annual tournament montage known as “One Shining Moment”. If you somehow weren’t able to see it live, we have you covered right here:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2023
There is no shot of new Irish coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] in his Penn State wear, but maybe that’s for the better. No Notre Dame supporter wants to see him in anything but Irish garb now. More importantly, they want to see him do everything to get the Irish back in the montage someday. It might take some time with all the work he has cut out for him, but the Irish will return to the tournament someday, and it will be glorious.
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One of the best traditions in all of sports has once again come and gone.
Every men’s NCAA tournament ends with a heartwarming montage of all of the best moments from the postseason, set to the song “One Shining Moment” by Luther Vandross.
This year’s “One Shining Moment” video is as glorious as you’d expect, complete with all the upsets, buzzer-beaters, heartaches and celebrations that made this March Madness run one to remember.
Congratulations to the UConn Huskies for taking home this year’s title, and we’ll see who is left celebrating at the end of next year’s “One Shining Moment.”
In the meantime, let’s just all break out our calendars and cross off the days until the next March Madness.
Let’s go into the past of Notre Dame cheerleading.
So much goes into the fan experience whenever a game takes place at Notre Dame Stadium or Purcell Pavilion. You obviously have the game itself, but you also have the band and, of course, the cheerleaders. Whether they’re dancing with pom-poms, shouting cheers out through horns or simply doing Irish jigs, the cheerleaders have been an integral part of Notre Dame athletics for a long time.
It goes without saying that the select few who have been Notre Dame cheerleaders are just as tight-knit as the athletes. In fact, the cheerleaders have hosted reunions before. We know this because this video from 1991 exists:
The most interesting part about this by far is the use of “One Shining Moment” as the music. Sure, there are far worse songs that could have been used for this, but it would be very nice to know what the thought process was behind this decision. If you had a hand in making this video and are reading this post, please reach out.
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Years ago, Nick Shepkowski, our fearless leader at Fighting Irish Wire, confessed to me that he cried whenever “One Shining Moment” came on. I don’t know if he still does, but it sure is nice to know that the tradition is showing no signs of slowing down. With the college basketball season officially in the books, we have the 2022 edition of the annual NCAA Tournament montage. In case you missed it live for whatever reason, we have you covered right here:
With Notre Dame making its first tournament appearance in five years and winning a couple of games, it had some representation in this montage. They were blink-and-you’ll-miss-them moments, but they were there during the first verse. We see Cormac Ryan dribbling and stopping against Alabama, and we see Ryan helping up Dane Goodwin after a big moment. Whether you think that was enough representation or not, it still is nice to know the Irish made it.
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The Irish have made appearances in the annual NCAA Tournament montage.
When I was 14, I had the opportunity to visit the NCAA Hall of Champions during a family trip to Indianapolis. It was there when I was properly introduced to the annual video montage that has wrapped up TV coverage of every NCAA Tournament since 1987.
While I had seen “One Shining Moment” once before, I figured it was just a typical montage like any that played whenever the NBA Finals or World Series wrapped up. My discovery that this happened every year was my main takeaway from the museum that afternoon, and I’ve looked forward to it every year since.
Notre Dame has not appeared in “One Shining Moment” every year it has made the tournament since the montage began, but let’s not pretend it’s done something significant in every appearance. Case in point, the Irish were not featured prominently in any montage until the three straight years it qualified from 2015 to 2017, which included back-to-back Elite Eights. Take a look at all of them below:
Last season, sports fans were robbed of the men’s NCAA Tournament after the coronavirus pandemic led to a global shutdown of major and professional sports.
Monday’s national title game between No. 1 seeds Baylor and then-undefeated Gonzaga ended in a dominant showing from Baylor as the Bears captured the program’s first championship, 86-70.
And after the confetti fell from the rafters at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Baylor’s win was capped off by the first “One Shining Moment” in two years. Watch and enjoy:
David Barrett on the return of his song to the CBS airwaves after no men’s tournament in 2020.
After a year with no men’s NCAA tournament that would have ended with David Barrett’s One Shining Moment being sung by Luther Vandross and played over a montage of highlights from March Madness, it’s all back on Monday.
And as Barrett told For The Win before the tournament, he’s as excited as everyone else is.
In a Q&A we did with Barrett, we spoke about the song he wrote at a Michigan bar in 1986 while watching Larry Bird play, one that’s become a beloved tradition for sports fans everywhere after the final buzzer sounds.
Here’s our chat, which has been edited and condensed:
How is it feel to see the song back where it belongs after the year we’ve had?
We love what this tournament is. I do. I always have, long before One Shining Moment. It represents, what I call, Christmas in March, where perfectly professional people put their hats on backwards and shout things at the TV. It’s a wonderful ritual for all of us. Particularly this year, it represents a step toward regaining some of the things that delight us. This one has a particular charm, and having One Shining Moment be the cherry on top is particularly gratifying.
What was your reaction to seeing college teams, fans and others making their own One Shining Moment montages in 2020?
In this case, it was loving parody, which I interpreted as a form of flattery. I’ve been doing this a while, and whenever I’m interviewed, I’m thinking, this is a generational thing now and I’m grateful for it. I thought it was a gentle parody with good spirit and: may I write another song that people parody. There was nothing mean-spirited about it.
Every time I’ve played this song, which I do from time to time, it feels as fresh as the day I wrote it. You have to realize, I wrote this song long before I met CBS. It wasn’t work for hire, it was written for my own reasons. I was living in Michigan and I wrote it. It was as simple with that.
You were at a bar watching Larry Bird and wrote it on a napkin?
I was trying explain to a waitress – you’ve probably heard the story – who sat down next to me. I panicked and I had to say something, so I started talking about Larry Bird and explain the poetry of basketball. She left quickly, but I thought, well I know something about this.
I wrote down the title, went home, slept on it, woke up. I wrote all the lyrics on another napkin and then drove home to the piano and there it was. It was the skies opening up. Whatever people say or don’t say, I still have the moment of sitting down and writing it, which I treasure.
Where did that phrase “one shining moment” come from?
I wish I knew. I used to play a lot of basketball. There were times when you’re on the court when everything slows down and you see more than usual, and I was watching Larry Bird at the height of his talent. He’s walking around in the moment on the court in ways no one else is. So you start mulling the word “moment” and think “slow down,” you engage time differently than the rat-a-tat-tat of daily life.
You’ve had so many legendary vocalists sing it: Teddy Pendergrass, Luther Vandross, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson. I’m curious: How did you end up with Vandross on there?
CBS Sports has been wonderful to me. This man named Doug Towey, he called me up and I had no idea he had the tape [editor’s note: it was Armen Keteyian who passed the tape of the song along to Towey] and I thought it was one of my knucklehead friends. I didn’t believe him. We became dear friends over time. He’d call me up and we’d talk about life. He called me up one night and said, “We’ve lined up Luther Vandross. Do you mind if he sings over your track?”
Luther came in and sang in New York. I was not at that session. Doug flew into Ann Arbor and he played the track. It was a shining moment, hearing that voice on this song, having one of the great singers of the 20th century on it, knowing full well I scratched it off on a napkin. Doug and I mixed it and I’ve been grateful ever since. It never fails because he’s a transcendent singer.
I flew out to Los Angeles when Jennifer Hudson cut the song. She is as kind and professional, equal to that voice of hers. She can pretty much sing anything she wants. I stayed out of sight and she approached me at the end of the night and she couldn’t have been more effusive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN4MhAwvJ6s
What’s next for the song?
I was with a publisher the other day and talking about the song. Her father-in-law co-wrote Unchained Melody. We were talking about how some songs take on a life of their own. I said, I’ve learned to trust the song. It has its own fate and direction. I’ve been approached to have it in movies … but right now, it’s tournament time, so I put my head down, my hat on backwards and shout at the TV. I would say something will happen, but I don’t always know what and when it will. If you had told me before Luther came along, I would not have said one of the great singers in America is going to sing my song.
