RICKY RAY HEADLINES THE CFL HALL OF FAME CLASS FOR 2022

CFL / Football

Written by Joel Lefevre

Four new players will have their faces enshrined in the Canadians Football Hall of Fame this fall.

Headlining the list of new inductees will be quarterback Ricky Ray who played 235 games in his CFL career which lasted over 16 seasons.

Source (Background Photo/s): CFL

Ray featured for Edmonton and the Toronto Argonauts, capturing four Grey Cups, the most in league history by a starter.

Now 42, Ray is second in the league regarding all-time career completion percentage (68.2 percent), fifth in touchdown passes (324), and holds the Edmonton and Toronto franchise record for passing.

Chip Cox also joins the class of 2022 in a career that spanned 13 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes, finishing fourth on the all-time tackles list at 979 at the time of his retirement.

Cox also holds the league record for most fumble return yards at 392.

The two-time Grey Cup champion is also a four-time CFL All-Star and was named the Most Outstanding Defensive player in 2013.

Paul McCallum was one of the top placekickers of his time, winning a pair of Grey Cup titles, while being named an All-Star on two occasions.

The 52-year-old played 24 seasons for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ottawa Roughriders and BC Lions and is second in all-time league points with 3,145.

He is one of only two players in CFL history (Lui Passaglia being the other) to surpass 3,000 points scored.

Fullback Tim Tindale won the Hec Crighton Trophy on two occasions while at the University of Western Ontario, rushing for 2,554 yards and 36 touchdowns.

He also set what was at the time a U-SPORTS record for rushing yards in a season with 1,208 and played 37 games in three campaigns for the Buffalo Bills.

The final inductee in the players' category will be two-way player Dick Thornton.

Thornton played 12 seasons of CFL football with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts as a defensive back and quarterback, winning one Grey Cup.

Sadly, the five-time CFL Division All-Star passed away in 2014 of lung cancer and will be inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame.

Dave Ritchie will be honoured on the builder's side, having coached in the league for 22 seasons with the BC Lions, Montreal Alouettes, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

He is seventh in all-time wins among coaches with 108, and has a .586 winning percentage, leading the Lions to a Grey Cup triumph on home soil in 1994.

Roy Shivers is the next big name on that list, with 32 years of CFL experience in various capacities.

In his lengthy time in the league, he was a coach, director of player personnel, assistant general manager, and general manager, winning four Grey Cups.

The final honouree is Keith Evans, a crucial figure in the growth of football in Alberta.

Evans founded the Calgary Colts of the Canadian Junior Football League in 1965, serving as general manager from 1969 to 2019.

He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Officially this class will go into the Hall of Fame on September 16 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton before the Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers face off in a Grey Cup rematch.