That epic theme in ESPN's College Football Championship? John Williams wrote it

Jessica Gelt
·1 min read
FILE - In this June 9, 2016, file photo, composer John Williams poses on the red carpet at the 2016 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. In a YouTube video posted July 16, 2016, Williams greets two fans who played the theme from "Star Wars" on the sidewalk in front of his Los Angeles home. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
Composer John Williams poses on the red carpet at the 2016 AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to John Williams at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Chris Pizzello / AP)

Why will SoFi Stadium in Inglewood sound more like a Hollywood movie theater than a sports arena before ESPN's College Football Playoff National Championship between Texas Christian University and Georgia on Monday night? Because legendary film composer John Williams wrote an original theme for the big game.

Titled "Of Grit and Glory" and running 3.5 minutes long, the music will play alongside images of football players — past and present — and is meant to conjure the anticipation and excitement of one of the year's biggest intercollegiate sports match-ups. Those visuals will be interspersed with video of Williams' three-hour recording session for the piece, which took place on the Sony scoring stage in December and employed the talents of a 96-piece orchestra.

The anthem will be played in full before the game and also be used in specially edited snippets throughout the evening's main event.

Williams, a five-time Oscar winner (who has been nominated 52 times), celebrated his 90th birthday last year and is currently among the favorites for an Academy Award for his work on Steven Spielberg's critically lauded film "The Fabelmans." He is currently working on music for "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," scheduled to be released in June.

When it comes to composing for sporting events, Williams is no slouch either. His credits include four Olympic fanfares and a gridiron March for NBC's football coverage.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.