One Shining Moment

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For the song "One Shining Moment" by Diana Ross, see The Force Behind the Power.

"One Shining Moment" is an inspirational song written by David Barrett about the Men's College Basketball Championship (at the end of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament).

"One Shining Moment" is traditionally played at the end of CBS Sports' coverage of the championship game of the tournament. The song is played as the winning team's players cut down the nets. It has been re-made by a few well-known artists, including Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. It is believed to be the last song Vandross recorded before his stroke and subsequent death.

CBS began using the song in a post-tournament montage following the 1987 NCAA championship game, in which Indiana defeated Syracuse. It was originally to be used after CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XXI, but the post-game interviews took too long and the network rushed to their post-Super Bowl show. So, CBS changed the opening lyric from "The ball is kicked" to "The ball is tipped" and the rest is history.