Toronto Argonauts: Top 5 highlights of Ricky Ray’s career
By Paul Taylor
2) The start of something special
They say some professional athletes are just born to win. The pressure doesn’t get to them and they always seem to be able to rise to the occasion when called upon.
Ray almost certainly fits in with this description. And look no further than the beginning of his CFL career.
The three-time CFL East All-Star started his rookie year in 2002 as the third-string quarterback for the Eskimos. By the end of the season, he had led the team all the way to the 90th Grey Cup — albeit in a losing cause — while filling in for an injured Jason Maas.
Ray was handed the starting job at the beginning of the following season, as Maas sustained another injury. However, it was a sign of how good Ray was, that he held onto his spot, even when Maas was fit again.
And the product of Sacramento State rewarded this decision by taking the Eskimos back to the Grey Cup, this time winning 34-22 against the Alouettes. It was Edmonton’s first Grey Cup win in 10 seasons and marked the beginning of a run for a player who would go on to set a new CFL record for championships by a quarterback.