The Story Behind “One Shining Moment”: Lyrics, Creator & Meaning
Every March, as the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament reaches its climax, millions of fans tune in not just for the championship game but for the emotional crescendo that follows: the “One Shining Moment” montage. Set to a soaring melody, this highlight reel of the tournament’s triumphs, tears, and unforgettable plays has become a beloved tradition, synonymous with college basketball’s pinnacle. But behind this iconic anthem lies a story as serendipitous as a buzzer-beater—a tale of a napkin, a fleeting muse, and a songwriter’s unexpected legacy. Here’s the story behind One Shining Moment.
The Creator: David Barrett’s Unexpected Inspiration
David Barrett, a singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor, Michigan, never set out to write the anthem of March Madness. Born in Pontiac and raised in the Detroit area, Barrett was a basketball enthusiast who played on scholarship at Albion College according to The Detroit News. Music, however, was his true calling. By 1986, he was gigging around Michigan, blending his love for melodies with a knack for storytelling.
The genesis of “One Shining Moment” came in an unlikely setting: the Varsity Inn bar in East Lansing, Michigan, in March 1986. Barrett had just finished a performance when he found himself alone, watching Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics on TV. A striking waitress sat beside him, sparking his nerves. To impress her, he began waxing poetic about basketball’s beauty—Bird’s grace, the game’s rhythm. But before he could charm her, she just up and left, leaving him with a half-formed thought and a napkin. “I was trying to talk to her about Larry Bird,” Barrett recounted in a 2011 NPR interview, “and she walked away" just like that.
The next morning, while waiting for a friend at breakfast, inspiration struck. In about 20 minutes, Barrett scribbled the lyrics on another napkin, capturing the fleeting magic he’d felt the night before. “It just ‘whooshed’ out of me,” he told Sports Illustrated in 2017. He composed the music soon after, recording a demo and sending it to his friend Armen Keteyian, a journalist with CBS Sports ties. Keteyian passed it to a CBS executive, who saw its potential. After Indiana’s Keith Smart sank a game-winner to beat Syracuse in the 1987 NCAA Championship, “One Shining Moment” debuted on CBS, paired with tournament highlights. A tradition was born.
Barrett’s career took off—he’d later score Emmy-winning PBS documentaries and Olympic themes—but “One Shining Moment” remains his signature. Initially intended for the Super Bowl, the song found its home on the hardwood, a twist of fate Barrett embraces according to USA Today. Today, he attends the Final Four as a guest of the NCAA, watching his creation crown each champion.
The Lyrics: A Celebration of Effort and Epiphany
The lyrics of “One Shining Moment” are deceptively simple yet deeply resonant, capturing the essence of athletic struggle and triumph. Here’s the opening verse, as published by the NCAA:
The ball is tipped / And there you are / You’re running for your life / You’re a shooting star / And all the years / No one knows / Just how hard you worked / But now it shows…
From the jump ball to the spotlight, the words paint a vivid picture of an athlete’s journey—years of unseen toil bursting into a single, glorious instant. The chorus amplifies this:
In one shining moment, it’s all on the line / One shining moment, there frozen in time.
Later verses add layers of adversity and resilience:
But time is short / And the road is long / In the blinking of an eye / Ah, that moment’s gone / And when it’s done / Win or lose / You always did your best / ‘Cause inside you knew…
The song peaks with an emotional call to action:
One shining moment, you reached for the sky / One shining moment, you knew / One shining moment, you were willing to try.
Interspersed are lines like “Feel the beat of your heart / Feel the wind in your face / It’s more than a contest / It’s more than a race,” elevating the narrative beyond sport to a universal quest for meaning. Barrett’s original draft began with “The gun goes off,” a nod to a race, but he tweaked it to “The ball is tipped” for basketball’s sake—a myth persists it was “The ball is kicked,” which he debunked in a 2019 interview with The Detroit News.
Performed first by Barrett (1987-1993), then Teddy Pendergrass (1994-1999), Luther Vandross (2003-2009), and more, the song’s vocal evolution reflects its adaptability. Vandross’ soulful take, recorded just before his 2003 stroke, is the most iconic, cementing its emotional heft.
The Meaning: A Tapestry of Dreams and Reality
At its core, “One Shining Moment” is about the intersection of preparation and opportunity—a fleeting chance to shine after relentless effort. It’s not just for the winners; the montage features Cinderellas, upsets, and heartbroken players, too. As CBS sportscaster Jim Nantz said on a CBS broadcast, “Every kid knows the lyrics, knows what it means, dreams of stepping on that platform” and that has never changed. It’s a tribute to the human spirit, where the “shining moment” isn’t always a trophy but the act of striving to be the best you can be. Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose; but that moment is forever.
The song’s origin adds a poetic twist: inspired by a missed connection, it mirrors the tournament’s unpredictability—one moment changes everything. For Barrett, it was a woman who slipped away; for players, it’s a shot that rims out or swishes. This duality—personal and collective—makes it timeless.
Critics might call it sentimental, but its power lies in that sincerity. Sports Illustrated dubbed it “the most famous song in sports” in 2017, and USA Today called it “as integral to the NCAA as snipping the nets” in 2013. Its meaning evolves yearly— this year, as Kentucky’s Amari Williams powers the Wildcats toward a potential title, a new chapter in its legacy will be written.
Legacy and Impact
Since 1987, “One Shining Moment” has aired after every NCAA final (except 2020, when COVID canceled the tournament). According to the Washington Post, CBS pays Barrett less than $50,000 annually for its use, a modest sum for considering it's place in the sports world. When TBS joined the broadcast rotation in 2016, fears it might fade were quashed—tradition prevailed. Charles Barkley even sang a tongue-in-cheek version for Turner. And you know you have to see that:
For Barrett, the song’s success is surreal. “I envisioned nothing,” he said. That song—born in a bar, scribbled on a napkin—has become college basketball’s heartbeat, a reminder that greatness often comes from the smallest, most unexpected moments.