The Michigan Wolverines, covered in confetti and hugs, stood on the basketball court turned celebration stage. The opening sounds of ‘One Shining Moment’ filled Lucas Oil Stadium, a moment the newly crowned 2026 men’s college basketball national champions had been waiting for.
As the Michigan players, coaches and their families watched the highlights of their title run set to ‘One Shining Moment’, a couple watched from the stands. They sang along to every word, misty-eyed: David and Tracy Barrett of Ann Arbor. Tracy is a Michigan graduate, and David wrote the song.
The Birth of an Anthem
David Barrett was in a bar when the idea for ‘One Shining Moment’ came to him. The 31-year-old musician had been performing in Michigan bars. One spring night in 1986, he was at the Varsity Inn in East Lansing. His set was done, and he was unwinding.
Barrett watched Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics on TV. He also noticed the waitress serving him. ‘The waitress was so beautiful, I thought, well, I’m a songwriter, so perhaps my only chance to catch her attention was through poetry,’ Barrett said. ‘If I could express to her the poetry of Larry Bird’s abilities at the height of his career, this special moment in his life creating so many special moments on the court, perhaps she would be impressed.’
He then scribbled three words onto a cocktail napkin. The following morning, he expanded those words into a chorus at a brunch spot.
‘One Shining Moment’ Becomes a Tradition
For nearly 40 years, Barrett’s lyrics and tune have been the soundtrack of college basketball. Shortly after the men’s college basketball national champion is crowned, the winning team will lock arms on the floor, gaze up at the jumbotron and soak up a montage of clips from the tournament. This is all set to Barrett’s song, building to the inevitable climax of images of them winning.
In one shining moment,
it’s all on the line
One shining moment,
there frozen in time
- The Michigan Wolverines won the 2026 men’s college basketball national championship.
- ‘One Shining Moment’ played as the team celebrated.
- David Barrett wrote the song in 1986.
The Michigan Wolverines celebrated their victory with the song that has become synonymous with college basketball championships.