Bio

Ray Ricono was a standout football player at Missouri Valley College during his time in Marshall, Mo., from 1957-1962. Ray played on two MCAU championship teams during his career at Missouri Valley. Ray was a member of the 1958 conference championship team, which played in the Tangerine Bowl, and was a co-captain on the 1960 championship team. Ray helped lead MVC to a combined record of 27-6-1 during his football career and was earned all-conference and all-American selections.

Ray graduated from Missouri Valley in 1962 with a degree in physical education, and spent two years playing professional baseball in the minor league farm system of the Detroit Tigers. After his playing days, Ray returned to football, but this time as a coach, leading the high school programs at Maysville (Mo.) High School and Trenton (Mo.) High School for a combined 17 years. Ray also spent 12 years as a school administrator in West Platte, Mo., and Cameron, Mo., in addition to teaching in the El Paso (Texas) School District for two years.

Although Ray passed away in 2010, he always credited former Viking football coach Volney C. Ashford as the person at Missouri Valley who made the biggest impact on his life.