- "One Shining Moment" is a song that's been used for the highlight reel following the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship since 1987.
- The song was written at the Varsity Inn, which used to stand at the corner of Grand River and Spartan Avenue.
- Video shows the song's writer, David Barrett, recounting the story.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Monday night will mark the end of the college basketball season with the National Championship game. Although the Spartans aren't there to cut down the nets this year, my neighborhood still has a special connection to the big game.
"I wrote this song, amongst others," David Barrett said.
Songwriter David Barrett has spent time across the state, but it was hit time in Mid-Michigan that he says gave him a big break.
It started here, at the corner of Grand River and Spartan Avenue in East Lansing.
"I was playing at the Varsity Inn doing a couple of sets," Barrett said. "Got done with the night and sat down at the bar."
Next thing he knew, a waitress sat down at the bar, and he knew he had to talk to her.
"So I tried to explain to her the beauty, or the poetry, of basketball," Barrett said. And then it clicked.
"There was a napkin near me, and I jotted down this idea that I had," he said. "In explaining it to her, I explained it to myself and wrote down 'One Shining Moment.'"
Barrett says the song was fully written a day later. His friend went on to send the song to CBS without Barrett knowing, and the rest is history.
Now, 38 years later, the song is still an annual tradition following each March Madness, used in a highlight reel showcasing the memorable moments from the tournament. Barrett says he remembers seeing the song used for the first time and knew that it would be special for years to come.
"The original formula in 1987 is valid in 2025 and years onward because it's the same game, it's the same emotion, and it's the same shining moment," Barrett said.
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