Before San Diego State University and University of Connecticut tipped off on Monday, April 3rd for the NCAA Men’s Basketball championship game, the national anthem had to be performed. Because they were playing at at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, it was fitting that they asked a NASA astronaut to do the honors.
That astronaut was none other than Tracy Dyson, a former NCAA track and field athlete at Cal State Fullerton.
Former @csuf track athlete and @NASA Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson sang the national anthem at the @MarchMadnessMBB Championship game! Go Titans! @BigWestSports @FullertonTFXC @csufcnsm pic.twitter.com/mVS0pm2prD
— Cal State Fullerton (@csuf) April 4, 2023
During the performance, the feed cut to Steve Bowen, Woody Hoburg, and Frank Rubio, who are all astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
Next stop for #Crew6: low-Earth orbit.
Get to know the crew before they launch to the @Space_Station on this week’s, “Houston We Have a Podcast.” https://t.co/zfU7eVBhJ0 pic.twitter.com/GdLnxr6PeD
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) February 24, 2023
After the camera showed Astronaut Dyson singing for a few lines, it then showed our armed forces overseas in Camp Arjifan, Kuwait, which garnered a HUGE applause and cheer from the crowd. As she sang the lyric, “Banner yet wave,” the crowd started cheering and never stopped.
73,860 people attended the semi-final games, so there is likely the same amount of people, if not more sitting in the stands for the championship game. Not many astronauts can say they’ve sung the national anthem live in front of nearly 75,000 people! But now, Tracy Dyson can.
Watch her performance below.