One of the great traditions in sports comes after the finale of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The airing of One Shining Moment, written by David Barrett, began all the way back in 1987 and has stood the test of time as one of the most iconic songs and highlight packages in the history of sports.
One Shining Moment is great because it doesn’t just celebrate the victors, it celebrates all of the things that makes March Madness so captivating for the entire nation – the Cinderellas, the upsets, the storylines, and of course the championship.
The UConn Huskies won their second straight national championship to cap off the 2024 NCAA Tournament by defeating the Purdue Boilermakers in the final by a score of 75-60 in the title game. Incredibly, it is the sixth national championship for the Huskies since 1999. All the more impressive is the fact that three different coaches have won those championships – Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie, and now Dan Hurley.
So of course UConn features prominently in this year’s video, but so do some of the other stars that were born during this year’s tournament. Enjoy the 2024 rendition of One Shining Moment right here…
ONE SHINING MOMENT 🙌#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/7x2R9DfyNM
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 9, 2024
While most associate One Shining Moment with Luther Vandross, there have actually been five versions of the song – Barrett’s original, Teddy Pendergrass, Vandross, Jennifer Hudson, and Ne-Yo have all recorded it for CBS and now TNT Sports. After Hudson’s non-traditional video in 2010, CBS restored the Vandross version that has been used since ever since.
Given how well-loved One Shining Moment is with the NCAA Tournament, it’s surprising that other championships haven’t been able to find a trademark outro as well. At the very least, perhaps it’s time for the NCAA Women’s Tournament to have their own version given how it has grown in recent years.
And in case you want to relive some past versions of One Shining Moment, you can check out our archives here.
