One of the city’s few successful sports teams, the Toronto Argonauts’ defence of their Grey Cup Championship is underway. Will there be another parade this November? Star quarterback Ricky Ray seems to think there is a chance. We tracked him down to get his take on the city and the 2013 season.
Congrats on the new contract extension (until 2015). I guess this means a few more Grey Cups. Am I right?
I hope so. I’m excited to be here. I definitely enjoyed last year playing in Toronto in front of the fans and the city. They’ve done a great job of getting a solid head coach. I love playing for Scott Milanovich. We’ve got a good locker room full of guys. It’s definitely a good spot to be in. Hopefully we have a few more chances to get into the playoffs and get another shot at a Grey Cup.
What was most noticeable coming from Edmonton to Toronto last year, in terms of fans and the team’s place in the city?
There was definitely a difference. You could see there was a lot more things that pull the fans in different directions: other sports teams in the city with hockey, baseball, basketball. There is just so much happening here it is hard for us to always be attracting them.… Last year, we didn’t play well at home early in season. We need to do a better job of defending our home field and keeping fans engaged.
You may have noticed our teams don’t usually win a lot of trophies, and it is a bit of a sore spot. What was it like to win the Grey Cup on home turf for a new team in a city starved for a championship?
I mean, every time I think back to what we were able to accomplish, it just amazes me. I just feel so lucky. A lot of us that came here, everything was new, in a city hosting the 100th Grey Cup of all Grey Cups. For us to be able to get on a run like that, to play in front of our home fans and be able to win? It is something that still boggles my mind today.
I read that you’re actually from Bigfoot country. True story?
Ya, I was born in the town of Happy Camp in Northern California. We moved from there when I was about four, but one of the few memories I have is of the town’s Bigfoot parade. I vaguely remember going there for parades, and there was always a guy dressed up as Bigfoot throwing candy to the kids.
How have you liked Toronto since arriving last year?
There is just so much to do. I mean, anything you can pretty much think of, you can find it in Toronto. We have a lot of options to keep busy in our down time. We have a young daughter who just turned two, so we live outside town near our practice facility. There are great parks, and we always walk around and keep it low-key. And when we want to go into the city, we go downtown and do that.