Jeff Van Raaphorst
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Richard Van Raaphorst (born December 7, 1963 in Columbus, Ohio
) is a former American football
quarterback
. After going to high school at Grossmont High School
in La Mesa, California
, Van Raaphorst attended Arizona State University
. He led the Sun Devils football team to the PAC-10 championship in his senior year, where they won the 1987 Rose Bowl
. He was the Rose Bowl Player of the Game.
Van Raaphorst made his professional debut in the NFL in 1987 with the Atlanta Falcons
. He played two games for Atlanta in the 1988 season.
Van Raaphorst's brother Mike Van Raaphorst
was a backup quarterback behind Carson Palmer
at USC in 1999.
Van Raaphorst was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2006.
Van Raaphorst now serves as a color commentator
for Arizona State football radio broadcasts.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. After going to high school at Grossmont High School
Grossmont High School
Grossmont High School is the oldest high school in San Diego's east county, California. Its mascot is the Foothiller, so chosen because, at the time of the school’s construction, east county was much more isolated from the rest of San Diego than it is today and was often referred to as the...
in La Mesa, California
La Mesa, California
La Mesa is a city in San Diego County, California. The population was 57,065 at the 2010 census, up from 54,749 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1869 and officially incorporated as a city on February 16, 1912. Its official flower is the bougainvillea....
, Van Raaphorst attended Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
. He led the Sun Devils football team to the PAC-10 championship in his senior year, where they won the 1987 Rose Bowl
1987 Rose Bowl
The 1987 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 73rd Rose Bowl Game. The Arizona State Sun Devils, champions of the Pacific-10 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 22-15....
. He was the Rose Bowl Player of the Game.
Van Raaphorst made his professional debut in the NFL in 1987 with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played two games for Atlanta in the 1988 season.
Van Raaphorst's brother Mike Van Raaphorst
Mike Van Raaphorst
Mike Van Raaphorst is a former American football quarterback for the USC Trojans.Today, Van Raaphorst works for Western Asset Management in New York City after obtaining an MBA from the University of Southern California.-References:...
was a backup quarterback behind Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
at USC in 1999.
Van Raaphorst was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2006.
Van Raaphorst now serves as a color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for Arizona State football radio broadcasts.