The 2002 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth year under head coach Glen Mason, the Golden Gophers compiled an overall record of 8âÂÂ5 with a mark of 3âÂÂ5 in conference play, placing seventh in the Big Ten and outscored opponents 376 to 319. Minnesota was invited to the Music City Bowl, where the Golden Gophers defeated Arkansas. The team played home games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
Redshirt freshman defensive end Brandon Hall was shot and killed on September 1, 2002, in downtown Minneapolis after a fight that involved teammates and other individuals. Hall's killer was convicted in his murder.