He is an All-American Scholar Athlete basketball player who played at Grand View College, where he majored in Applied Mathematics and Secondary Education.

After graduation, Ray worked as an actuary in Chicago, but soon realized that he wanted to be a basketball coach.

He quit his actuary job and became a coach and teacher at a high school in Des Moines, Iowa.

[3] Upon hiring Ray, Mississippi State Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said, “Rick fits the model of head coach we have sought to bring into our program over the last several years.

[7] Ray left Colorado following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season to join the staff at Vanderbilt as an assistant coach.