York University Lions linebacker Ricky Foley has signed a National Football League (NFL) contract with the Baltimore Ravens. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Foley was not drafted in the 2006 NFL Draft but signed as a free agent after attending a Baltimore mini-camp on May 12.
"Ricky is one of the best players to have ever played football at York University," said York head coach Tom Gretes. "He is one of the most dedicated and hard working individuals I have come across in my 25 years of coaching. If there is any one that can play and succeed at the next level, it`s Ricky Foley."
Right: Ricky Foley
A native of Courtice, Ont., Foley was also selected fourth overall in the 2006 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft in April by the BC Lions. Foley, a third-year history major with York’s Faculty of Arts, was a first-team Ontario University Athletics All-Star in 2005 and a second-team All-Canadian in 2004 when he led the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league in sacks with nine.
Foley was a versatile athlete for the Lions in 2005, playing five different positions during the season. He finished seventh in the OUA in tackles with 49. As a member of the track and field team, Foley broke a 27-year-old school record in the shot put and was ranked fifth in the country. In March, he was named York's 2005-2006 Male Athlete of the Year.