For 14 years, Rod Smith played in fear that he was going to get called into Mike Shanahan’s office to be fired.

Even after making three Pro Bowls, even after making a career-defining touchdown catch in Super Bowl XXXIII, even after winning the team’s Man of the Year honor, Smith couldn’t shake the feeling that any day, it could all end.

“I had that pressure on me for 14 years,” Smith said. “I would sneak up on my locker, some days a little more relaxed than other days, but I would sneak up on my locker and just pray that my name was still there, and I’d say, ‘I got one more day.'”

Of course, Smith’s storied career did finally end, unofficially on Dec. 31, 2006, when he played his last game, and on July 24, 2008, when he formally announced his retirement. Yet he will always be a part of Broncos history.

As owner of most of the team’s career receiving records, Smith will be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Honor at halftime of Sunday’s game against Houston. Smith becomes the 23rd player to join the Ring of Fame.

“This organization is special to me. They completely gave me a chance to change my whole life. I’m always going to root for them, and I’m doing everything I can to make sure we’re competing each and every day,” Smith said Wednesday.

Smith’s Denver career began with a year on the practice squad after signing with the Broncos as an undrafted rookie out of Missouri Southern in 1994. Smith played in his first game a year later, after Shanahan became the Broncos’ head coach.

Smith has never forgotten about that start.

“The thing is, I didn’t get my name called on draft day. I’m still mad about that, by the way. I carry grudges a long time. I’m just saying, it’s the truth,” Smith said. “Some people weren’t too smart, ’cause they measured all this other stuff but they didn’t measure a person’s heart. … The Broncos gave me a chance, and that’s all I cared about.”

The highlights in Smith’s career are many, starting with his first NFL catch.

In his third professional game, Smith caught a 43-yard touchdown as time expired to give Denver a win against the Washington Redskins. That catch came against Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green.

There was also his 80-yard touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Falcons, and a whole host of Broncos records for a wide receiver: 11,389 receiving yards; 31 100-yard receiving games; 68 touchdowns; 113 catches in a single season; 124 straight games with a reception. His 849 career catches and total career yardage are the most ever by an undrafted wide receiver in league history.

A hip injury (and two hip surgeries) ended Smith’s career after the 2006 season, though he spent 2007 on the roster, recovering from hip surgery, collecting a paycheck and preparing himself for his life after football. Smith said that final year, in the locker room but not on the field, allowed him to come to terms that he was no longer an NFL player.

“I knew in my heart I wanted to play, but physically, I couldn’t play at, not at the level I had to play at to be considered a teammate, to give them what they deserve as a teammate,” Smith said.

Still, he remains closely tied to the Broncos. Smith still lives in Denver and is a frequent guest at practice and Broncos games. He serves, in an unofficial capacity, as a consultant for Broncos players, relying on his own experiences on and off the field to help guide young players, particularly the wide receivers.

“They say experience in the best teacher, and I have a lot of experience in that locker room. It’s the only one I ever was in in the NFL. I think when guys come in that locker room they respect that I have experience here, not somewhere else,” Smith said. “The coaches change, but the game is still exactly the same.”

Smith’s hip is still a problem — a metal part used in one of his surgeries has been recalled — and he has no secret wishes that he could still play, even on days like Thursday, when he stood on the sideline at Dove Valley watching Peyton Manning lob passes to Eric Decker and Demaryius Thomas.

He’s content in his post-football life, and set on securing the financial future for his children and grandchilden.

“I wouldn’t trade it for nothing. I really wouldn’t, because I got to live my dream,” Smith said.

Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262, twitter.com/bylindsayhjones or /PostBroncos