 He attended university at Wilfrid Laurier University where he played as a defensive halfback for the Golden Hawks and was named the 1999 Ontario University Athletics defensive player of the year.Ruiz was signed as an undrafted free agent out of university by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2000 and was expected to make the team until he broke his clavicle in a pre-season game.He returned to play another season for the Golden Hawks and made his CFL debut in 2001.