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. Big Ten Conference champion Ohio State declined the invitation to play in the Rose Bowl. They were under no contractual obligation to accept the invitation following the demise of the Pacific Coast Conference after the 1958 college football season. Minnesota, the second-place team in the Big Ten, was then offered the "at-large" invitation, and accepted.