How many Sac State athletes have gone on to the pros, signed aguaranteed multi-million dollar contract, then lived in the lap ofluxury because they are good at sports? The answer can be counted onone, errrr-no hands. There aren?t any.

That’s why it’s such a breath of fresh air to see a guy like Ricky Ray,Sac State?s quarterback, be honored by the National Football Foundationand College Football Hall of Fame, Inc., as a scholar athlete.

Ray, who has a 3.8 GPA, will graduate this May with a business degree. Aback-up plan, what a concept.

Especially when you see guys like Kings guard Jason Williams who saythings like, “I wish I’d spent more time on my jump shot, and less timelearning to read and write.” Guys like that are doomed without thesport.

Then there’s Ray, who has a shot at playing in the NFL. He will behaving personal tryouts with several teams, including the Raiders andBengals. If he?s drafted, or signed as a rookie free-agent, he will bein a camp and compete for a spot on the roster.

Congratulations, but it’s a good thing he?s got other fields of interestto look into, because he?s not a top prospect and his game isn?t goingto make him a million-dollar player, at least not until he proveshimself.

Ray has a lot of good points that will impress the scouts and coaches inthe coming weeks. He’s smart, a good playmaker, and he will do whateveris necessary to help his team win. He gets the job done. He’s gritty,and this last season, he proved that he could play through nagginginjuries. Those are things that will make him a commodity.

The things that may hinder his ability to get into the league are: Sizeand arm strength. He has a good arm, and he?s 6 feet 3 inches tall, sofor the NFL size isn’t an issue. The average NFL quarterback is about 6feet 4 inches tall. But his arm strength may be a question. While hegets the ball into the hands of his receivers, he?s not going to impressanybody on the sheer strength of his arm. He’s more in the class of TyDetmer than he is John Elway, and while that’s not necessarily a badthing, his arm alone won’t get him in the league.

He also will have to prove his mobility. He had some good instances ofscrambling out of the pocket and eluding oncoming pass-rushers this lastseason, but when you look at the NFL, the definition of a quarterback israpidly changing. Running is taking over the position. Guys like DanteCulpepper, Steve McNair, and Donovan McNabb are making the quarterbacklook more like a running back, and when you look at this season?sprobable first pick, Michael Vick, the trend will continue.

Ray isn’t slow, and he’s not unable to get out of the pocket, but hewon’t be so eager to get out, and he will want to pass on every play. Atthe helm of the Hornets, the “option” was anything but for Ray.

It will be interesting to see where Ray ends up. It will be interestingto see if he gets a shot at the NFL, or if he will take the option inother pro leagues. The good thing is, we know that he’s going to be allright and that football isn’t the end of the road for him.Questions? Comments? E-mail [email protected]