The Twitter account handle
@ARayofHope73 has two meanings.
Arthur Ray is not only working to keep his NFL aspirations alive. The offensive lineman also has one of the most inspiring stories of any player eligible for the 2015 draft.
At 17, Ray was diagnosed with bone cancer that led to nine different surgeries. He spent months in bed, followed by more than two years on crutches after another setback.
Ray still wouldn't quit. Ultimately he got on the field at
Michigan State, but seeking more snaps, Ray transferred to Fort Lewis College, a small Division II program in southwestern
Colorado, nowhere near his Chicago-area home.
Ray knows the odds of getting signed as a college free agent -- let alone being drafted -- aren't in his favor. Now 25, Ray is older than almost every other prospect. At 292 pounds and a shade under 6-foot-2, he is undersized compared to most NFL linemen. Ray's performance in some drills at a recent pro day workout at Northwestern University also didn't compare favorably to those of his peers.
But none of that has deterred Ray, who is training in hopes of fulfilling the dream that kept him motivated throughout his health woes.
"Life's about the challenges you face and how you overcome it," Ray said. "Life is more about your reactions rather than what happened to you. I felt like I had to grow up fast. Now, if anything hits me, I feel like I can get through it.
"Mentally, there are not too many things that can keep me down because I feel like I've faced worse."
"Worse" is being told the lump on Ray's leg that he believed was a "typical bump" was actually bone cancer. Instead of being able to celebrate the scholarship he signed with Michigan State a week earlier as a high school senior, Ray had to start dealing with medical realities that included the possibility of amputation.
"I thought I had the whole world ahead of me getting ready to play in the Big Ten and everything was going to work out," Ray said. "That Monday, I was on chemo.