The 1962 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1962, was the 48th
Rose Bowl Game. The
Minnesota Golden Gophers defeated the
UCLA Bruins, 21–3.
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
declined the invitation to play in the Rose Bowl. Days after the conclusion of the regular season, the university's faculty council voted 28–25 against participation in the Rose Bowl.1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
season. Minnesota, the runner-up in the Big Ten, was then offered the "at-large" invitation, and accepted.[2008 Rose Bowl Program](_blank)
, 2008 Rose Bowl. Accessed January 26, 2008. It was broadcast on the NBC television network and was the first national color television broadcast of a college football game.
Teams
University of Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Gophers had gone to the Rose Bowl the previous year as the #1 team in the nation and lost to the Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Washington, located in Seattle. The school competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac ...
. In 1961, the Gophers actually finished in second place in Big Ten Conference play. Minnesota had a loss to Missouri, and a Big Ten loss to Wisconsin in their rivalry game. Ohio State was the Big Ten champion, but because of a faculty council decision to emphasize academics over athletics, the Buckeyes turned down the Rose Bowl berth.[Tim Brady ]
The Road to the Rose Bowl
Minnesota Magazine, University of Minnesota Alumni Association. September 8, 2003 Ironically, Minnesota would not have received the Rose Bowl invitation if they had, in fact, been the 1961 Big Ten champion and the conference had a formal agreement with the Rose Bowl for the 1961 and 1962 games, since the Big Ten had a "no-repeat" rule in effect until 1972. The Gophers were led by Sandy Stephens, the first African American All-American quarterback. However, he was not the first African-American starting quarterback in a Rose Bowl (this distinction goes to Charles Fremont West
Charles Fremont "Pruner" West (January 25, 1899 – November 20, 1979) was an American track athlete, college football player and coach, and physician. He played football and ran track at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylva ...
of Washington & Jefferson, forty years earlier in 1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
).
UCLA Bruins
In the regular season, UCLA had lost at both Michigan and Ohio State earlier in the season. They also lost to Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, but managed to beat USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
during one of the few rainy games in the rivalry.
Game summary
The weather was sunny,[ and Minnesota wore their home maroon jerseys, with white helmets and white pants, while UCLA also wore their home powder blue uniforms with gold pants. Using the single wing offense, UCLA struggled against the Gophers, netting only one field goal to open the scoring in the first quarter. Minnesota had 21 first downs to UCLA's 8, and the Gophers held the Bruins to 107 total yards, while gaining 297 yards on 66 plays. Stephens rushed for 46 yards on 12 carries, including two rushing touchdowns, and was 7 for 11 in passing for 75 yards.][
]
Scoring
First quarter
* UCLA — Bobby Smith kicks 28-yard field goal. UCLA 3–0
* Minnesota — Sandy Stephens dives over from one-yard line. Tom Loechler kick. MINN 7–3
Second quarter
* Minnesota — Bill Munsey goes over from three-yard line. Loechler kick. MINN 14–3
Third quarter
* No scoring
Fourth quarter
* Minnesota — Stephens runs over from two-yard line. Loechler kick. MINN 21–3
Statistics
Aftermath
This is Minnesota's only Rose Bowl win and its most recent appearance. Through the 2019 season, Minnesota has gone the longest in the Big Ten conference without playing in the Rose Bowl game. Sandy Stephens was named the Most Valuable player, and became the first African American to get the award.
Both head coaches in the game were University of Tennessee graduates who had played under legendary coach Robert Neyland
Robert Reese Neyland (; February 17, 1892 – March 28, 1962) was an American football player and coach and officer in the United States Army, reaching the rank of brigadier general. He served three stints as the head football coach at the Univ ...
.
Game facts
All-American defensive tackle Bobby Bell played in both the 1961 and 1962 Rose Bowls for the Gophers. He later played in two Super Bowls with the Kansas City Chiefs, I and IV, winning the latter in January 1970.
References
{{Historic college football games
Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
Minnesota Golden Gophers football bowl games
UCLA Bruins football bowl games
1962 in sports in California
January 1962 sports events in the United States