Ricky Ray Ricky Ray ( born October 22 , 1979 in Happy Camp , California ) is a professional Canadian football quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League . Ray has also spent time in the af2 , as well as spending time on the New York Jets roster in the National Football League . He is most well known for his performance with the Edmonton Eskimos , as he is the franchise ' s all - time leader in passing yardage , pass completions and passing touchdowns . College career . At age 18 , Ray made his debut for Shasta College in Redding , California in 1997 . The 1998 season saw Ray become a first - team All - American and state player of the year for his work at quarterback . This naturally led to appearing on a larger stage , and Ray played division one NCAA college football with Sacramento State University , and played two seasons there before turning professional . In his first year as a college starter in 1999 , Ray was exceptional , with 179 of 291 passes being completed , leading to 2 , 422 yards and twenty touchdowns . Ray ' s 2000 season was a drop - off but still strong , completing 168 of 270 passes ( a 62 . 2 completion percentage ) for 13 touchdowns and six interceptions . Ray holds the Sacramento State record for completion percentage ( . 619 ) , and is third in completions and yards . Ray also rewrote the Shasta College record books during his time there , most notably throwing 199 consecutive pass attempts without allowing an interception . Professional career . After his college career ended in 2000 , Ray attended a training camp for the NFL ' s San Francisco 49ers , but did not make the team and only dressed for a single pre - season game . Ray made his professional debut near the bottom of the ladder , with the Fresno Frenzy of the Arena Football League ' s developmental league af2 . Arena Football . Under the tutelage of former Canadian Football League quarterback Rick Worman , Ray thrived during his brief stay in Fresno . Playing in seven games , Ray was a natural at the Arena game , throwing 25 touchdowns as opposed to only six interceptions for a total of 1 , 296 yards . Even in the high - scoring environment of arena football , Ray ' s accuracy and arm strength impressed football observers . Although he was not yet considered a serious prospect , some Canadian football clubs were convinced to give him a look . CFL debut . In 2002 , Ray made the CFL ' s Edmonton Eskimos out of training camp . The Eskimos were considered one of the strongest teams in the West Division of the time . However , the Eskimos were deep at quarterback . Starter Jason Maas was considered one of the best at his position in the league . Ray started the season as the Eskimos ' third - string quarterback . Late in the fourth quarter of a Week Four game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders , Maas was knocked out of the game , and would not be available for the Week Five matchup against the rival BC Lions . Ray made his debut relieving Maas in the Saskatchewan game and his first start against the Lions , throwing for four touchdowns . The first - year Canadian football player threw for 2 , 991 yards , 24 touchdowns , and nine interceptions with a quarterback rating of 101 . 3 , highest in the league . With Maas still recovering from injury , Ray led the Eskimos to the Grey Cup game against Montréal . Ray threw for 324 yards , but the Eskimos lost the 90th Grey Cup to the Alouettes 26 - 16 at home . Ray failed to convert on a vital two - point conversion late in the game that could have tied the affair at 18 - 18 . The failure forced the Eskimos into an onside kick attempt , which failed as Montréal returned it for a touchdown and took a lead that they would not lose . During the year , Ray received Offensive Player of the Week and Month honours , but was ineligible for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award , due to his brief NFL experience . Maas returned for the 2003 season , setting up a quarterback duel between Maas and Ray during training camp . However , Maas sustained a back injury during the off - season , a condition that would require surgery . Ray remained the starter even after Maas returned . There was no sophomore jinx for Ray , as , despite splitting time early in the year , he ended up with a 67 . 6 completion percentage , 4 , 640 yards , 35 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and was a candidate for the Most Valuable Player award . The Eskimos rebounded from their slow start and made the playoffs , defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western final as Ray threw for 356 yards . The 91st Grey Cup in Regina , Saskatchewan featured the Eskimos against the Alouettes . The Eskimos defeated the Alouettes 34 - 22 , for the team ' s first Grey Cup in a decade . Ray played exceptionally against Alouettes coach Don Matthews ' s renowned blitzing defense , completing 22 of 32 passes for 301 yards and two touchdowns . NFL career . After two outstanding years in Canada , Ray began to look south of the border , hoping to follow such CFL stars as Warren Moon , Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia , onto a National Football League roster . Ray drew interest from every quarter , and reports that there was an NFL scout at an Eskimos game could draw considerable paranoia from Eskimos fans desperately afraid of losing their new - found star . The off - season of 2003 was a small circus , as Canadian football fans wondered what path Ray would take . Former Eskimo Warren Moon , a legend in both leagues , advised Ray to stay in the CFL a little while longer to improve as a quarterback and receive a better shot at a starting job . But the lure of the league he had dreamed of in his youth proved too strong to keep Ray in Canada , and he signed with the New York Jets . Even as Ray entered the NFL , former Calgary Stampeders star quarterback Dave Dickenson and former Saskatchewan Roughriders starter Henry Burris , both contemporaries of Ray ' s and , in the case of Dickenson , a comparable quarterback in terms of style and talent , were finding themselves unable to crack an NFL roster . Both would return to the CFL before the season was over . It was an ominous omen of how Ray ' s NFL stay would turn out . In the 2004 NFL season , Ray dressed for six games with the Jets , but did nothing more than hold a clipboard on the sidelines during game action . When starter Chad Pennington went down briefly with a rotator cuff injury , some saw it as a chance for Ray to do in the NFL what he did in Canada . However , backup Quincy Carter came in and played well , dooming Ray to the bench . After the season concluded , Ray was released by the Jets . With no offers to remain on an NFL roster forthcoming for 2005 , Ray returned to the Canadian Football League and the Eskimos . Return to the Eskimos . Ray ' s return was immediately accompanied by controversy . He immediately became the favourite to take the starting job in Edmonton , but , once again , the team was deep at quarterback in 2005 . In addition to Ray , Jason Maas remained in Edmonton . While Ray had been in the NFL , Maas had been the starter and had played superbly , becoming only the second Eskimo to pass for 5 , 000 yards in a single season . Khari Jones and Jason Johnson were also hanging around , but neither were possibilities to take the starting job . As expected , Ray received the starting job out of training camp in 2005 . Maas , despite frequent trade rumours , was once again made his backup , and Jones was released outright ( he later resurfaced with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats ) . Johnson remained on the roster as the third quarterback . Ray started the 2005 season strong , leading the league in completions and yardage . He set a pro football record , which still stands today with 479 completions in 2005 . However , towards the end of the year , Ray ' s play faltered , concluding in him not throwing a touchdown in the season ' s last four games . In the playoffs , Ray was benched twice more , both in the West Semi - Final against Calgary and the West Final against British Columbia , and both times Maas came on the field , threw very well , and recorded the winning points . Head coach Danny Maciocia , however , promised Ray the start in the 93rd Grey Cup , perhaps because of rumours that a trade of Maas to the Hamilton Tiger - Cats had already been arranged . This time , however , Ray seized the opportunity presented to him , throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns while completing 35 of 45 passes . The Eskimos defeated their old foes the Montréal Alouettes in a thrilling shootout victory , and Ray was the hero as he was named most valuable player . In 2005 , with Ray leading the Eskimos again , the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes met in the Grey Cup game for the 3rd time in 4 years . Once again , the Eskimos were victorious in the rubber match , winning in overtime , 38 - 35 , after an ill advised move by the Montreal quarterback , Anthony Calvillo took a penalty by throwing the ball twice on the same play , and then getting sacked by Charles Alston . This decision put Montreal in a 3rd and 30 situation , and handed Edmonton their 13th Grey Cup Championship . Ray was named Grey Cup MVP of the game for his outstanding performance . In 2006 , Ray started for the Eskimos for every single game of the season . The Eskimos had one of the most successful passing offences in moving the ball downfield , but found a way to fail in the red zone quite often . The bland " take what the defence gives you " style offence that offensive coordinator Danny Maciocca implemented proved to be the downfall of the Eskimos in ' 06 . However , Ray led the league in passing with exactly 5000 yards , and was near the top in completion percentage at 65 . 7 % , 21 TD ' s , and a passer rating of 89 . 8 . During the season Ray also began to display his ability in scrambling , as the offensive line broke down quite often in the earlier stages of the ' 06 season . Ray had 469 yards rushing with 9 TD ' s . Despite the fact that the Eskimos did not make the playoffs , Ray was one of the few bright spots on the Eskimos . In 2007 , Ray continued to be a bright spot on the slow - starting Eskimos . On September 14 , 2007 , in a win against the Montreal Alouettes Ray surpassed CFL and NFL hall - of - famer Warren Moon to capture the Eskimos ' all - time record for career passing yards . On September 28 , 2007 , he suffered a separated shoulder at the hands of Toronto Argonauts safety Willie Pile , ending his season . Without Ray , the Eskimos lost their remaining five games and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season . In 2008 , Ray completed 422 of 608 pass attempts ( 69 . 8 % completion ) for a league leading , career best , and single season Eskimo record 5661 yards . Ray threw for 26 TDs and 17 INTs for a 101 . 8 QB rating . Ray also scrambled for 258 yards and 5 TDs . One of his best games of the season came in the final week of the season vs . the Alouettes when Ray broke the record for highest completion percentage in a single game ( with a minimum of 20 passing attempts ) when he went 23 / 25 for 92 . 0 % for 302 yards and 2 TDs in only 3 quarters of play . He led the Esks to a win in the crossover playoff game in Winnipeg , but the team lost in the East finals to Montreal . The 2008 Eskimos were the first team to ever win a crossover game . In 2009 , Ray completed 401 of 596 pass attempts ( 67 . 3 % completion ) for a league leading 4916 yards , 22 TDs and 12 INTs for a 96 . 4 QB rating . Ray scrambled for 206 yards and 6 TDs . In a game versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders , Ray completed 20 consecutive passes before receiver Jamaica Rector dropped a pass , ending the streak . This remarkable performance left Ray 2nd all time behind teammate Jason Maas ( who completed 22 straight passes on July 30 , 2004 ) , in the CFL record books for most consecutive pass completions in a single game . In 2010 , Ray completed 288 of 447 pass attempts ( 64 . 4 % completion ) for 3565 yards , 11 TDs and 16 INTs for a 82 . 3 QB rating . Additionally , Ray scrambled for 302 yards and 3 TDs . In Game 15 Ray had a career rushing performance compiling 135 yards on 12 rushes and a touchdown . Ricky Ray started 16 of the 18 games . Statistically , it was Ray ' s worst year of his career . In 2011 , Ray completed 343 of 526 pass attempts ( 65 . 2 % completion ) for 4954 yards , 24 TDs and 11 INTs for a 99 . 3 QB rating . Additionally , Ray scrambled for 258 yards and 1 TD . Ricky Ray had a bounce back season after struggling in 2010 . His solid play earned him Offensive Player of the month for the month of September . Ray lead the Eskimos to a record of 11 - 7 , qualifying for the Playoffs . Trade to the Argonauts . Ray was traded to the Toronto Argonauts on December 12 , 2011 for quarterback Steven Jyles , placekicker Grant Shaw , and a 2012 first round draft pick . Ray went on to win the 100th Grey Cup as the Argonauts ' starting quarterback .