| 1962 Rose Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 48th Rose Bowl Game | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 1, 1962 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 1961 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Rose Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Pasadena, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Sandy Stephens QB - Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Minnesota by 8[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | UCLA Band | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | R.E. Meyer (Big Ten) (split crew: Big Ten,AAWU) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | UCLA Band,University of Minnesota Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 98,214 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC (first color broadcast) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Mel Allen, Braven Dyer | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 31.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The1962 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1962, was the 48thRose Bowl Game. TheMinnesota Golden Gophers defeated theUCLA Bruins, 21–3.[1][2]
Big Ten Conference championOhio State 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.[3][4][5] They were under no contractual obligation to accept the invitation following the demise of thePacific Coast Conference after the1958 season. Minnesota, the runner-up in the Big Ten, was then offered the "at-large" invitation, and accepted.[6]
Minnesota quarterbackSandy Stephens was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.[7] It was broadcast on theNBC television network and was the first nationalcolor television broadcast of a college football game.[8]
The Gophers had gone to theRose Bowl the previous year as the #1 team in the nation and lost to theWashington Huskies. In 1961, the Gophers actually finished in second place in Big Ten Conference play. Minnesota had a loss toMissouri, and a Big Ten loss toWisconsin intheir 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.[3][4][5][9] 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 until1972. The Gophers were led bySandy Stephens, the first African AmericanAll-American quarterback. However, he was not the first African-American starting quarterback in a Rose Bowl (this distinction goes toCharles Fremont West ofWashington & Jefferson, forty years earlier in1922).
In the regular season, UCLA had lost at bothMichigan and Ohio State earlier in the season. They also lost toWashington, but managed to beatUSC during one of the few rainy games in therivalry.[10]
The weather was sunny,[2] 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 thesingle 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.[2]
| Team stats | Minn. | UCLA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 8 |
| Net Yards Rushing | 222 | 55 |
| Net Yards Passing | 75 | 52 |
| Total Yards | 297 | 107 |
| PC–PA–Int. | 7–11–0 | 5–8–0 |
| Punts–Avg. | 3–40.7 | 5–37.2 |
| Fumbles–Lost | 3–2 | 2–2 |
| Penalties–Yards | 6–70 | 1–5 |
This is Minnesota's only Rose Bowl win and its most recent appearance. Through the2019 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 wereUniversity of Tennessee graduates who had played under legendary coachRobert Neyland.
All-American defensive tackleBobby Bell played in both the 1961 and 1962 Rose Bowls for the Gophers. He later played in twoSuper Bowls with theKansas City Chiefs,I andIV, winning the latter in January1970.
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