According to Colts.com’s Kevin Bowen, the Indianapolis Colts former starting center Jeff Saturday will be inducted into the team’s ring of honor during Week 2 of this season’s primetime matchup against the New York Jets:
Jeff Saturday will be inducted into the @Colts Ring of Honor during the team’s Week Two Monday Night game (9/21) vs. the Jets.
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) July 14, 2015
Most known for being Peyton Manning‘s personal center, Saturday had a highly accomplished 13-year career (1999-2011) with the Colts, after signing with Indianapolis in 1999 after being an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina. Not only was Saturday a Super Bowl XLI champion at starting center for the Colts in 2006, but he was also a 6x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro in what was no doubt a great career.
Of course, Saturday’s biggest play as a Colt may have come in the AFC Championship game in 2006, when he pancaked Patriots mammoth nose tackle Vince Wilfork on a late game-winning 4th quarter Joseph Addai touchdown run, which is now fondly remembered as simply “the block” in Colts history:
However, it’s worth noting that Saturday also scored a touchdown in that very same game by recovering a fumble in the end zone to tie the Colts and Patriots at 28 a piece early in the 4th quarter. As a direct result, he’ll always have a huge place in Colts history.
If not for his play, certainly for his legendary argument with Manning.
After signing with the Green Bay Packers in 2012, Saturday went on to play one more season before finally retiring at that season’s end. In March of 2013, he signed a one-day deal with the Colts to retire with the team he played most of his whole career with. Saturday has since joined the organization in a post-playing position in media relations, as well as served as an NFL Analyst for ESPN.
The now 40 year old Saturday will join the likes of Robert Irsay (1996), Bill Brooks (1998), Ted Marchibroda (2000), Chris Hinton (2001), Jim Harbaugh (2005), 12th man (2007), Tony Dungy (2010), Marvin Harrison (2011), Edgerrin James (2012), Eric Dickerson (2013), and Marshall Faulk (2013) in the Colts Ring of Honor for what should be a very special night on September 21st.
Per Bowen on Colts.com, while Saturday knew he had a highly regarded Colts career, he was still surprised to hear of the news today:
"“I’ll tell you I was blown away,” Saturday said on Tuesday after learning of the announcement of his induction.“When you start playing this game, you never really envision that occurring in your career,” added Saturday. “The way I tell people about my career all the time is it was much better then I deserved. That’s really the way I feel about it. This is just another thing to add to it. I’ve just been so blessed to be an Indianapolis Colt and for my career, to be there as long as I was and for as successful as it was, not only personally, but for the teams that I had the chance to play for, all the men that I got to suit up beside and run out on the field with, I can’t say enough good things. I’m just humbled by it and really excited about it.”"
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