Ricky Ray knows how to deliver. The former Sacramento State quarterback has proven it time and time again on the football field — and in a Frito Lay truck.

After a rocky beginning to his professional career, the 24-year-old Ray has found stardom with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.

Ray led the Eskimos to a 13-5 record this season. He ranked first in the league in completion percentage (67.6) and was third in passing yards (4,460) and touchdown passes (35).

“It’s a different style of game than in the U.S. and there are some different rules, but its still football,” Ray said. “You still run, pass and make reads. There are a lot of guys here who have played in the NFL for a couple seasons so there is definitely a good talent base here.”

The opportunity to play north of the border did not come easy for Ray, who thought his professional career was over before it even started.

After leaving Sac State in 2001 as one of the top passers in school history, ranking first all-time in completion percentage (.619), third in touchdowns (33) and fourth in yards (4,622) and completions (347), Ray faced the disappointment of not being selected by an NFL team in the draft.

With no teams even offering a free-agent contract, the 6-foot-3, 210 pound Ray sent his game tapes to every team in the CFL, but there wasn’t any interest. Realizing any chance of playing professional football likely had ended; Ray accepted a job with Frito Lay Inc. Instead of delivering key touchdown passes, Ray was delivering truckloads of chips around California.

Soon after he began his job with Frito Lay, Ray received a call from the San Francisco 49ers. With one of their quarterbacks recovering from an injury, the 49ers signed Ray to a free-agent contract. Ray attended training camp and dressed for a pre-season game, but was released shortly afterwards.

Ray then signed with the Fresno Frenzy of ArenaFootballLeague2 and appeared in seven games, throwing for 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.

With his success in AFL2, Edmonton decided to give Ray a shot. He entered their training camp as the third-string quarterback and was named the Eskimos starter in week five. In 18 regular season games, he threw for 2,991 yards, 24 touchdowns and was first in the CFL with an efficiency rating of 101.3.

The Eskimos advanced to the Grey Cup, the league’s championship game, but fell to the Montreal Alouettes.

Now dubbed “Frito Ray” by his teammates, Ray has begun receiving interest from the NFL. He said several teams requested his game film this season.

“It’s definitely a dream and a goal to make it back to the NFL,” he said. “If I continue to play well, I think there will definitely be some interest.”

Ray said he has no problems remaining in Canada if the opportunity to play in the NFL doesn’t materialize.

One of Ray’s biggest supporters has been Gary Houser, the athletic director at Shasta College in Redding, Calif., where Ray played two seasons before transferring to Sac State.

“We are very proud of Ricky,” Houser said. “He is a great role model for all of our athletes. He has come back each summer and worked out here at the college where he can meet many of our recruits and help them prepare to attend Shasta College.”

Ray was inducted into Shasta’s Athletic Hall of Fame last spring. Aside from his success on the field for the Knights, he was named the top football scholar-athlete in the state by the Commission on Athletics during his sophomore year.Ray said he always looks forward to facing former teammate Charles Roberts, a star running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The two played together at Sac State from 1999-2000.

Roberts, the Hornets all-time leader in rushing yards (6,553), touchdowns (57) and points (352), is a strong candidate for the CFL’s MVP award. He led the CFL this season in rushing yards (1,554), and yards from scrimmage (2,102).

“The things he does are amazing,” Ray said. “I saw that first-hand at Sacramento State. He’s very dangerous.”

Ray is also teammates with running back Troy Mills, who played at Sac State from 1990-1991 and is ranked fourth on the Hornets all-time rushing list.

Sac State Athletic Director Terry Wanless said it is important to the university that former student-athletes are getting the opportunity to play professionally.

“It’s an asset in recruiting because it shows potential prospects that if they have that special talent they will be recognized at Sacramento State as well as any other institution,” Wanless said. “Visibility is the key to recognition and the current scouting services of professional athletics shows that potential pro athletes are found at all levels of competition.”