His 14th and final NFL season was a bittersweet mix of ignominy and glory.

Ignominy, in that he lost his starting job to a youngster.

Glory, in that he still made the Pro Bowl.

That’s how much respect Jeff Saturday commanded in a league where respect comes grudgingly, if it comes at all.

Saturday commanded it like few Colts have.

Fittingly, the franchise will pay its ultimate respects to Saturday when it inducts him into the Ring of Honor in Lucas Oil Stadium during a Sept. 21 Monday night game against the New York Jets.

A rare honor reserved for the best of the Colts’ best, Saturday will become only the eighth player in the Ring.

A fixture during Indy’s golden decade of the 2000s, he was arguably the game’s best center at the time and had five Pro Bowl nods to prove it. The literal anchor of the offense, he was the linchpin between Peyton Manning and the array of threats that made defending the Colts a particular nightmare.

Yet in the pantheon of Colts’ heroes, Saturday was in many ways an unlikely hero — which makes his induction into the franchise’s Ring of Honor an unlikely but richly deserving reward.

An undrafted free agent out of North Carolina, he was signed in 1998 by the Baltimore Ravens — and cut a month before training camp.

Signed the following year by the Colts, a similar fate seemed likely.

Undersized at 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, little, if anything, was expected of the no-name from North Carolina. But in a snap, he delivered, in the biggest possible way, and in the process made an indelible name for himself. Not only in Indy, but throughout the NFL.

Unassuming on the outside but barn nail tough on the inside, Saturday became Manning’s first line of defense and a master orchestrator of the line. Possessor of keen instincts, wide vision and quick feet and hands, he played the position ferociously and efficiently and was a pillar of durability.

In 13 seasons with the Colts, he played in 197 games, the fifth-most in franchise history, and had a hand in 132 wins, the third-most in team history. He played in two Super Bowls, including the 2007 win against Chicago, and went to five Pro Bowls.

Among Indianapolis teammates, only Peyton Manning (11), Marvin Harrison (8), Dwight Freeney (7) and Reggie Wayne (6) went more Pro Bowls than Saturday.

In a perfect world — which the free-agent crazy NFL is not — Saturday would have finished his career in Indy. He began here in 1999 but exited after the 2011 season, having signed a lucrative two-year deal with Green Bay.

Saturday, however, would play only one season with the Packers.

Father Time, better known as the ravages of 13 NFL seasons, finally caught up with Saturday. After starting 14 games, the then-37 year-old was benched in favor of Evan Smith, a little-known, second-year player who had previously been cut by two teams — including the Packers.

But no matter.

By that time, Saturday’s reputation was such that he was still voted into the Pro Bowl by fans. He was, in fact, the top-vote getter in the NFC among centers.

So he closed his 14th and final season with a sixth Pro Bowl appearance, joining heralded Green Bay teammates Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews.

No shame in ending career that way.

And now, three years after retiring from the NFL, Saturday — who signed a one-day contract March 7, 2013, to officially retire with the Colts — will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor. He will join players Bill Brooks, Chris Hinton, Jim Harbaugh, Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk. The other inductees are late-owner Robert Irsay, former coaches Ted Marchibroda and Tony Dungy, and the 12th Man, a paean to Colts’ fans.

Of the player inductees, Saturday might be the most unlikely but is unquestionably one of the most deserving. He not only played his position at a consistently high level, he was a model representative for a franchise that prided itself — especially during the Dungy years — on winning, and winning with class.

Saturday personified both.

Mild in manner and rugged in play, he did his job superbly every Sunday and, by virtue of his eloquence and approachability, became a face of the franchise — a role seldom assumed by an offensive lineman.

As a result, he is getting what he deserves — his place in the Ring of Honor.

Saturday’s best days were Sundays in a Colts’ uniform.

Rick Morwick is sports editor for the Daily Journal in Johnson County, a sister paper of The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].