John Williams Composes New Theme Song for ESPN’s CFP National Championship Coverage

One of the most decorated composers in Hollywood history has composed a new piece of music for ESPN’s coverage of the College Football Playoff national championship. 

John Williams, winner of five Academy Awards for best score, wrote a three-and-a-half-minute piece called “Of Grit and Glory” that will debut during Monday’s game between Georgia and TCU.

ESPN co-director and producer Martin Khodabakhshian told Variety that the music will accompany a video package meant to evoke “the feeling behind the night, fear and anticipation, triumph and failure.” 

Khodabakhshian and his co-director, Michael Sciallis, wrote a letter to Williams three months ago asking him to compose a piece for the broadcast. Williams told Variety he was “thrilled and excited” when asked to contribute to the network’s college football coverage.

“The games themselves always raise the collective spirit and, in the end, the competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration,” Williams added. “The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me, and I feel especially privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”

Williams, 90, composed the iconic scores to Jaws and Star Wars, both of which earned him Academy Awards. He also worked on other classic franchises such as Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter. In sports, he is responsible for such well-known pieces as NBC’s Sunday Night Football theme and NBC’s Olympics theme.