Darrell Davis: Sayonara, Frito Ray!

The two best things about Ricky Ray’s football career are his nickname — Frito Ray — and the fact he was considered a washed-up quarterback when he was traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

Discarded by Edmonton Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman, Ray won a Grey Cup in 2012, his first year in Toronto, and again in 2017, 14 years after he won his first of two CFL championships with Edmonton. Ray had an unmatched ability to loft passes over defenders to nestle into the arms of his receivers. A neck injury suffered last season convinced Ray to retire at age 39.

Gracious with fans, media and teammates, Ray was missing the massive ego of many pro athletes. Indeed, before his first of several NFL tryouts, he took a job delivering potato chips for Frito Lay, hence the nickname.

Ray is certainly among the league’s all-time top 10 quarterbacks, somewhere below Doug Flutie and Jackie Parker because he couldn’t scramble like those Hall of Famers. But there’s little doubt his passing prowess and Grey Cup victories will quickly earn him passage into the Hall.