On this day in history, March 29, 1982, Michael Jordan hits winning shot in NCAA final, launching legend

Jordan, 19, a UNC freshman, grabbed the attention of millions of basketball fans with a long jump shot to beat Georgetown 63-62 on March 29, 1982.

Basketball icon Michael Jordan, a 19-year-old University of North Carolina freshman guard, authored the first chapter of his legend with a thrilling shot to beat Georgetown in the NCAA championship game on this day in history, March 29, 1982.

The sweet 16-foot jump shot from left of the rim with 17 seconds left to play lifted the Tar Heels to a 63-62 win over the mighty Hoyas. 

An incredible 62,000 fans watched the performance live at the Louisiana Superdome, while about 17 million viewers caught it on television. 

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Jordan was a largely unknown figure on the national stage until that moment. 

His hardwood heroics propelled him onto a path of greatness and, eventually, to a rare level of international stardom that extended far off the court and deep into wider pop culture.

"Michael Jordan personified greatness on the court, and redefined superstar athlete off it," the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame writes in its profile of a player widely regarded as the greatest in the history of the sport. 

NCAA Final Four, North Carolina's Michael Jordan (#23) in action, making game-winning shot vs. Georgetown, in New Orleans, March 29, 1982.  (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

"His freshman season at UNC culminated with Jordan hitting the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA national title game. That shot put Michael on the map and a new era was born."

The game capped a tournament that broadcaster Brent Musburger dubbed "March Madness" before a national audience for