Jeff Van Raaphorst

{{Short description|American football player (born 1963)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Jeff Van Raaphorst

| number = 10

| position = Quarterback

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|12|7}}

| birth_place = Columbus, Ohio, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 1

| weight_lb = 210

| high_school = El Cajon (CA) Grossmont

| college = Arizona State

| undraftedyear = 1987

| pastteams =

• Denver Broncos (1987)*
• Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1987}})

| statlabel1 = Passing yards

| statvalue1 = 174

| statlabel2 = TD-INT

| statvalue2 = 1-2

| statlabel3 = Passer rating

| statvalue3 = 52.8

| pfr = V/VanRJe20

}}

Jeffrey Richard Van Raaphorst (born December 7, 1963) is an American former professional football quarterback.

Van Raaphorst attended Grossmont High School in El Cajon, California, where he played defensive end and tight end before he was converted to a quarterback by his head coach.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-van-raaphorst-findi/164165155/|title=Van Raaphorst finding out it's no snap to run offense|first=Bob|last=Hurt|work=The Arizona Republic|date=August 26, 1984|access-date=January 28, 2025|page=D1|via=Newspapers.com}} As a senior, he threw for 2,970 yards. Van Raaphorst committed to playing college football at Arizona State over Miami and Florida. He led the Sun Devils 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 after passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

After going unselected in the 1987 NFL draft, Van Raaphorst signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent because "they [didn't] have a third quarterback".{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-van-raaphorst-plans/164163005/|title=Van Raaphorst plans to sign with Broncos|first=Bob|last=Cohn|work=The Arizona Republic|date=April 30, 1987|access-date=January 28, 2025|page=E1|via=Newspapers.com}} However, he was waived by the team during final cuts in September.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-arizona-republic-van-raaphorst-among/164163574/|title=Van Raaphorst among 3 former ASU players cut by Broncos|work=The Arizona Republic|date=September 8, 1987|access-date=January 28, 2025|page=C5|via=Newspapers.com}} Later that month, Van Raaphorst signed with the Atlanta Falcons as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL strike.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-falcons-will-se/164164140/|title=Falcons will sequester strikebreakers|first=Bud|last=Shaw|work=The Atlanta Constitution|date=September 23, 1987|access-date=January 28, 2025|page=E9|via=Newspapers.com}} He played two games for Atlanta in the 1987 season.

Van Raaphorst was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 2006.{{cite web|url=https://rosebowlgame.com/honors/rose-bowl-hall-of-fame/jeff-van-raaphorst/89|title=Jeff Van Raaphorst (2006) - Rose Bowl Hall of Fame|publisher=Rose Bowl Game|access-date=January 26, 2025}} He now serves as a color commentator for Arizona State football radio broadcasts.