He might not have a Super Bowl ring (at least yet), but New England Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich now has a day honoring him in New Lenox.

Ninkovich returned home, where he graduated from Lincoln-Way Central, and on Monday was honored by the New Lenox Village Board, which designated April 9 as "Rob Ninkovich Day."

"It was great growing up here. It was tough sometimes because it was just corn, but it grew and grew," said Ninkovich, who added he's looking forward to getting married June 29.

Getting to the NFL wasn't easy for Ninkovich, who wasn't recruited out of high school. He played on a national champion at Joliet Junior College before transferring to Purdue. After being drafted, he bounced around the league until finding a home with New England, where he recently played in the Super Bowl, where the Patriots lost to the New York Giants.

"Hopefully we'll win this year," Ninkovich said. "There’s little blessings that happen to you in life and you decide which way you want to take it. I’m thankful for all the bad things that have happened to me because it’s made me who I am."

That positive attitude is a reason the village wanted to honor one of its own. 

"Sometimes when someone reaches a certain level they forget where they came from and where they should be, and that’s not the case here," Mayor Tim Baldermann said.

Read More About Rob Ninkovich

Patriots Linebacker Ninkovich Makes 'Super' Impression in His Old Neighborhood

Ninkovich Looking to Seize Opportunity at Super Bowl

Rob Ninkovich: Ranking the Highlights of Our Super Bowl Star