Tarik Glenn has officially cemented his status as an Indianapolis Colts legend.
The standout tackle/guard — who played the entirety of his 10-year NFL career with the Colts from 1997-2006, most notably as Peyton Manning's primary left tackle during one of the most successful runs in franchise history — on Sunday was officially inducted into the Colts' Ring of Honor.
"It is such an honor to be here tonight to introduce Tarik into the Ring of Honor," Colts owner Jim Irsay said during the ceremony, held at halftime of Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders. "We were talking about it as a team and the alumni, and no one is more beloved and popular than Tarik among his teammates and coaches."
For his part, Glenn had one word to describe his feelings on Sunday: grateful.
"Wow. Wow," Glenn said as he began speaking into the mic."When I was thinking about what I was going to say to the best fans in the NFL, the first word that came to mind was being grateful. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and I couldn't do it without a village."
That village, Glenn said, includes his parents, children, and wife, as well as his teammates and coaches.
"But, most important, it's the Indianapolis Colts' fans," he continued, to cheers. "You guys have been awesome from 1997 until I retired, and I'm so grateful to have played all my 10 years here in Indianapolis."
Glenn was selected by the Colts in the first round (19th overall) of the 1997 NFL Draft. He started his career in Indy as the team's right guard, where he started all 16 games his rookie season, before moving over to left tackle in 1998 — Manning's rookie year.
In Peyton Manning's nine seasons (1998-2006) behind Glenn, he eclipsed 4,000 passing yards seven times. Additionally, Manning led the league in quarterback rating three times (2004-06) and was named Associated Press MVP two times (2003 and 2004).
Glenn would go on to start 154 career regular season games and 13 postseason contests. A three-time Pro Bowl selection (2004-06), Glenn started every regular season and postseason game for the team across nine different seasons (1997-2002, 2004-06).
Glenn's most important start was his very last one, as he helped lead the Colts' offense to 191 total rushing yards in their 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI.
Indianapolis registered a 1,000-yard rusher in nine of Glenn's 10 seasons with the team. Running back Edgerrin James led the league in rushing yards in back-to-back seasons (1999 and 2000). The Colts also had a 1,000-yard receiver in eight of Glenn's seasons, and wide receiver Marvin Harrison led the NFL in receiving yards two times (1999 and 2002).
Appropriately, Manning, James and Harrison were on hand to take part in their now-fellow Ring of Honor member's induction ceremony.
Glenn is officially the 18th honoree in the Ring of Honor, joining:
• Owner Robert Irsay (1996)
• Wide receiver Bill Brooks (1998)
• Head coach Ted Marchibroda (2000)
• Offensive lineman Chris Hinton (2001)
• Quarterback Jim Harbaugh (2005)
• "Colts Nation" (2007)
• Head coach Tony Dungy (2010)
• Wide receiver Marvin Harrison (2011)
• Running back Edgerrin James (2012)
• Running back Eric Dickerson (2013)
• Running back Marshall Faulk (2013)
• Center Jeff Saturday (2015)
• General manager Bill Polian (2016)
• Quarterback Peyton Manning (2017)
• Wide receiver Reggie Wayne (2018)
• Defensive end Dwight Freeney (2019)
• Defensive end Robert Mathis (2021)
