| Game Name: | Orange Bowl |
| Subheader: | 28th Orange Bowl |
| Date Game Played: | January 1 |
| Year Game Played: | 1962 |
| Football Season: | 1961 |
| Stadium: | Orange Bowl |
| City: | Miami, Florida |
| Home School: | Louisiana State University |
| Home Name Short: | LSU |
| Home Nickname: | Tigers |
| Home Conference: | SEC |
| Home Rank Ap: | 4 |
| Home Rank Coaches: | 3 |
| Home Coach: | Paul Dietzel |
| Home Record: | 9–1 |
| Home 1Q: | 5 |
| Home 2Q: | 6 |
| Home 3Q: | 14 |
| Home 4Q: | 0 |
| Visitor School: | University Of Colorado |
| Visitor Name Short: | Colorado |
| Visitor Nickname: | Buffaloes |
| Visitor Conference: | Big 8 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 7 |
| Visitor Rank Coaches: | 7 |
| Visitor Coach: | Sonny Grandelius |
| Visitor Record: | 9–1 |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
| Referee: | Cliff Ogden (Big 8) (split crew: Big 8, SEC) |
| Us Network: | ABC |
| Us Announcers: | Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman |
| Attendance: | 62,391 |
| Odds: | LSU by 13 points[1] [2] |
The 1962 Orange Bowl was the 28th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Monday, January 1. Part of the 1961–62 bowl game season, the No. 4 LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) defeated the No. 7 Colorado Buffaloes of the Big Eight Conference, 25–7.[3] [4] [5]
See main article: 1961 college football season.
See main article: 1961 Colorado Buffaloes football team.
See main article: 1961 LSU Tigers football team. LSU implemented their "three-platoon system." which included the "Chinese Bandits" defensive unit.[6]
The game kicked off at 1 pm and was played in a drizzle, the first rain at an Orange Bowl.[4]
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
It was the final game for both head coaches: Colorado's Sonny Grandelius was fired in March in the wake of numerous NCAA rule violations,[8] [9] and Paul Dietzel left for Army, then returned to LSU as athletic director in 1978.
The next season, Colorado won just two games under interim head coach Bud Davis (who later served as LSU's Chancellor), who was succeeded by Eddie Crowder in January 1963. The program's next appearance in a major bowl was after the 1976 season, also in the Orange.
LSU's next major bowl appearance was the following year, with a shutout win in the Cotton; their next Orange Bowl was in January 1971. Charles McClendon, Dietzel's top assistant, ascended to head coach and remained through the 1979 season, compiling a 137-59-7 record. McClendon remains LSU winningest coach as of 2023.