Cancer survivor Ray signs with Miami: 'A great feeling'

After beating cancer, Arthur Ray's odds-defying journey back to football will take him to the NFL.

The former Michigan State offensive lineman agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins and will join the team's rookie minicamp that begins Friday in South Florida, his agent, Paul Sheehy, said Tuesday.

"It feels great. A great, great feeling," Ray said Tuesday afternoon. "It's another confirmation that I'm moving on the right path."

Ray, a Chicago native who is 6-feet-3 and 300 pounds, is expected to be either a guard or center at the pro level. He started 14 games over the past two seasons at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., after being granted two extra seasons of eligibility by the NCAA in January 2013. He last played for MSU in 2011.

"From what Paul was telling me, they like that I can play multiple positions," Ray said. "And they like my foot quickness and my versatility."

In Miami this week, Ray will rejoin former Spartans teammate Tony Lippett, a receiver/cornerback taken by the Dolphins in Saturday's fifth round. Former MSU tight end Dion Sims and punter Brandon Fields also are on the Dolphins' active roster.

Sims, Ray said, is one of his closest friends from his time at MSU.

"Dion called me, and we just started laughing. It's surreal almost," Ray said. "We were both just joking about it, and now it's here."

The camp will be a foot-in-the-door tryout for Ray, who went undrafted over the weekend. It has been a long and sometimes rocky path to the NFL for Ray, who turns 26 next month. Ranked as one of the nation's top offensive guards as part of Mark Dantonio's first full recruiting class at MSU in 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer in his right tibia in April of his senior year at Mount Carmel High in Chicago.

Ray underwent nine surgeries on his lower right leg, plus chemotherapy, battling bone infections and countless hours of rehabilitation while spending more than two years on crutches. He deferred his enrollment and didn't begin classes at MSU until 2008.

In the spring of 2011, Ray finally was cleared to practice. During the Spartans' opening game that August against Youngstown State, a tearful Ray received the starting assignment at left guard. He went on to play against Florida Atlantic and Indiana and received his only varsity letter at MSU, receiving the team's "Biggie" Munn Most Inspirational Player Award at the team banquet.

​Conquering cancer also earned Ray the Discover Orange Bowl/Football Writers Association of America's Courage Award and was the Most Courageous Performance by the Big Ten in 2011.

Coach Mark Dantonio left Ray off of MSU's 2012 roster. He received a medical disqualification and finished his degree in communications that December before transferring to Division II Fort Lewis College, where he was a two-time captain and tore his meniscus in his right knee during the 2013 season. He returned to the field last fall and was a second-team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection at left tackle.

Ray reports to Miami on Thursday. The next phase of landing a job in professional football begins the next morning.

"What makes an impression? Just me going out there and showcasing my movement skills, my hand usage and my overall technique," Ray said. "Just from the scouts I talked to, there are a lot of people that have misconceptions of me that get solved once they see me in person. I'm a lot bigger than most people list me at, and I definitely move a lot better than advertised."

Chris Solari writes for the Lansing State Journal.