JACKSON (AP) — Hugh Green refuses to question the state he loves. But it’s obvious that Friday will be one of the most special days in a lifetime filled with acclaim and awards.

The Natchez native, who celebrated his 50th birthday Monday, will be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame 18 years after a prolific NFL career ended. Green has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, named the No. 14 greatest college player by ESPN and No. 5 by CollegeFootballNews.com since hanging up his spikes.

Now, home has finally honored its own.

‘‘It took a period of time to recognize me,’’ Green said. ‘‘A lot of people thought I was already in the Hall. I don’t want to (dwell) on the length of time. I’m there.

‘‘Now I know how Superman felt. He’s immortal. Years, centuries and decades from now … my name will be there and can never be taken out.’’

Green, who originally committed to Mississippi State, took his talent to Pittsburgh when the university was the premier program in the country and coming off the 1976 national championship. He went on to become the runner-up for the 1980 Heisman Trophy and won the Lombardi Trophy, given to the nation’s top lineman, that same year. Four different organizations, including Walter Camp and The Sporting News, named Green the player of the year in 1980. He was first-team All-America every year he played, had his No. 99 retired soon as his eligibility expired and holds the Pittsburgh record with 49 sacks and ranks No. 2 with 441 tackles.

Green, simply, possessed a skill set that was unheard of at the time from a defensive lineman. And it was wrapped inside a frame he said was 6-foot-2, 212 pounds as a freshman.

‘‘The thing Hugh had over everybody else was he had such great explosion and quickness,’’ former Pitt coach Jackie Sherrill said. ‘‘He probably had 4.3 (second 40-yard dash) quickness, but explosive enough to take on 300-pounders and shed them like a dishrag.

‘‘We were able to play him at so many positions. … Very rarely do you have a player that has the ability to rush, drop and also play the linebacker position.’’

Green was drafted No. 7 overall by Tampa Bay in 1981 and made three Pro Bowls and received two first-team All-Pro honors in his first four seasons.

Maybe the fact that Green’s most memorable years were spent out of state played a role in the late induction. But it still begs the question, ‘‘Why so long?’’

‘‘There’s a lot of people that need to answer that more than I do,’’ Sherrill said. ‘‘When you look at national newscasters when they ask who was the best defensive player you ever saw in college, the first person would be Hugh Green.’’

These days Green is back living in Natchez, the proud father of five and married to his wife Guy. He is involved in Ronald McDonald House charities and local chapters of the Boys and Girls Club. A crew of friends, including former teammate Dan Marino, have told Green they are coming to celebrate.

Michael Rubenstein, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, didn’t think the length of Green’s exclusion was excessive, but did put his inclusion in perspective.

‘‘There is no doubt Hugh Green is the most widely acclaimed college football player this state has ever produced,’’ Rubenstein said. ‘‘This state, as rich as it is in college football talent, may never see individual accolades like that again.’’

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Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com