Veteran quarterback Ricky Ray still feels sting of ’02 Grey Cup defeat
TORONTO — Ricky Ray has won more Grey Cups than any starting quarterback, but he still feels the sting from the one that got away.
Ray led the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup appearance in 2002, his rookie season. He began the year third on the depth chart behind starter Jason Maas and Bart Hendricks but went under centre early in the season when Maas was hurt.
Ray finished with 2,991 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and just nine interceptions as Edmonton (13-5) finished atop the West Division before dispatching Winnipeg 33-30 in the conference final. That set up a Grey Cup showdown at Commonwealth Stadium with the Montreal Alouettes, who were first in the East with an identical 13-5 mark.
But Anthony Calvillo and the Als spoiled the party with a 25-16 victory before 62,531 fans. Calvillo claimed MVP honours after completing 11-of-31 passes for 260 yards and two TDs despite playing with his right ankle frozen after injuring it in the East final.