Former Canadian Football League quarterback Ricky Ray has been enjoying retirement in Redding, California.
Ray officially retired in May 2019 knowing he wanted to take time off from football after a long, illustrious career.
“I like just being able to do what I want. For so long playing sports, everything is scheduled for you, when your meetings are, practice, when you gotta workout, when your games are. For me, I’ve been enjoying getting up and doing the day the way I want to,” Ray said on The Rod Pedersen Show.
“Whether it’s hanging out with my family or going off and doing something I didn’t get a lot of chances to do when I was playing football, like fishing with my dad or getting out and riding my bike or going and running on the trails. I get to enjoy that a lot more.”
Ray played nine seasons for Edmonton and the final seven in Toronto. He is one of only four quarterbacks in CFL history to throw for over 60,000 yards while leaving the three-down game as the all-time passing leader of the Edmonton Football Team (40,531 yards) and the Argonauts (20,205 yards). Ray ranks number one in league history with a completion percentage of 68.2.
The decorated signal caller holds the individual record for Grey Cup wins as a starting quarterback with four, including two each with Edmonton (2003, 2005) and Toronto (2012, 2017). The 2005 Grey Cup MVP has thrown the most-ever touchdowns in the CFL title game with nine majors.
That’s a lot of playing and championship experience, which makes Ray valuable as a potential coach in the CFL. Franchises have reached out to Ray regarding possible opportunities to join a staff, however it’s not an option he’s entertaining at the present time.
“I’m just not ready yet. It’s a lot of time, it’s a big time commitment, you’re away from your family a lot, and you never know where you’re going to be. You could get fired or not re-signed from year-to-year, so you’re moving around a lot taking different jobs. All that uncertainty has kept me out of it for the time being,” Ray said.
“I’ve definitely had some opportunities. I’ve had a few calls from different people that I’ve met throughout my career in the CFL, and asked if I was interested in either guest coaching or maybe taking on a role with the team. Definitely I still got a love for the game and I think I would really enjoy coaching, and I think at some point I might try and get back into it.”
If Ray ever decides to coach, there will be suitors eager to add his expertise.
