Meet Alanna Campbell, The Brains Behind 'One Shining Moment'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Tonight, college basketball comes to an end when Baylor looks to end Gonzaga's dream of a perfect season! Gonzaga is 40 minutes away from history.
The last team that won a national title with an undefeated record was Indiana in 1976. But, with all due respect to the Zags, there's only one true star on this night: the late great Luther Vandross.
Following every national championship game since 1987, "One Shining Moment" is the familiar refrain.
It's become as synonymous with the NCAA Tournament as buzzer-beaters and distraught fans.
"One Shining Moment" is the culmination of March Madness, and Alanna Campbell is the brains behind it.
"I try to explain it to people that my job is actually to watch three weeks of basketball and it's almost like binge-watching it and getting it all into three minutes of the song itself," said Campbell, a CBS Sports feature producer.
Campbell, working her 18th Final Four, estimates it takes about 100 to 150 hours to put the final piece together, and that everyone she talks to has a suggestion.
"So many people, especially if you've worked the NCAA Tournament for a while, know the lyrics by heart. And everyone has an idea for, 'Oh, you know your shooting star should be this guy.' Or, 'win or lose, someone cried on the bench, you should use this shot,'" Campbell said.
However, there's an even better reason why it still gives goosebumps after all these years.
"The Luther Vandross version just sticks with people, I don't know exactly what it is. There's some sort of nostalgic magic to it," Campbell said.
Campbell says one moment, above all others, is the most nostalgic for her. Villanova fans agree.
"I think I always go back to the Kris Jenkins Villanova National Championship game," she said. "It's one of the most incredible sports moments that I will ever have the privilege of experiencing in person."
Watch the championship game tonight at 9 p.m. on CBS3!
