Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger, who saved 155 lives during emergency plane landing on the Hudson in 2009, insists he's no 'hero' - and credits his crew with ensuring the safety of his passengers

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Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger may have saved 155 lives when he safely landed a plane in the Hudson River nearly seven years ago, but the pilot still maintains that he is not a hero - and instead insists that he and his crew just did their job well.

ESPN SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm sat down with the 64-year-old retired airline captain, who is best known for guiding US Airways Flight 1549 into an emergency water landing off of Manhattan after the plane was disabled following a bird strike on January 15, 2009. 

And while the event has been dubbed the 'Miracle on the Hudson', Sully, who is set to be portrayed by Tom Hanks on the big screen in a Clint Eastwood-directed biopic, says that is simply not the case. 

Humble: Captain Chesley 'Sully' Sullenberger, 64,  saved 155 lives when he safely landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009, but he says he's no hero in an upcoming interview with ESPN

Stepping into his role: Sully says he's excited to see Tom Hanks, 59, play him in the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic about his life. Tom is pictured at an award ceremony in California earlier this month

'You know I am not into the "m" word any more than I am into the "h" word. It was not a miracle,' he tells Hannah, who immediately asks what 'h' word he is referring to. 

Sully says people often call him a hero, but he is not entirely comfortable with that accolade.

'My wife Lorrie actually looked in the dictionary to see what the definition was of heroism because it had been used so much,' he shares, adding: 'She found at least one definition is someone who chooses to put themselves at risk to save another.'

But Sully says he and his crew didn't choose to risk their lives - they acted in the way they did because they had no other choice. 

'This was thrust upon us. We were making the best of a bad situation,' shares the captain.

However, Sully went on to say that maybe he wasn't giving himself or his crew enough credit in previous interviews.

Thoughtful: Sully's plane landing has been called the 'Miracle on the Hudson', but he says it was not a miracle - he and his crew just did their jobs well 

Toast: The retired airline captain, his wife Lorrie, and Flight 1549 passengers raise a class on January 15, 2014 - the fifth anniversary of the emergency landing

Acting under pressure: Sully expertly landed the plane on the Hudson River after its engines were disabled by a bird strike 

'Early on, I said we were just doing our jobs, and I think in retrospect - having thought about this now for a while - that I was short-changing all of us,' he tells Hannah.

'I think we did our jobs - with no notice - exceptionally well. Probably better than could have been expected,' Sully says.

The captain went on to reveal that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the emergency landing.

'My blood pressure is normally 108 over over 60, and it was 160 over 100 for ten weeks... I couldn’t sleep more than 45 minutes at a time for the first couple of nights. I didn't return to a normal sleep pattern for many months,' he shares.

Eventually, Sully came to terms with the terrifying events surrounding that day, but it took him a long time.

'I had to process this, I had to think about it, had to talk about it, I had to write about it,' shares the captain, who says he's now working with the Veterans Administration to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and show sufferers that they are not alone.  

Tough times: The captain reveals to ESPN's Hannah Storm that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the landing, and was barely sleeping at night

Thumbs up: Sully, seen above at the 2009 Super Bowl, said it took him a long time to come to terms with the events of that now-infamous day

Emotional: The former member of the United States Air Force embraces a passenger from Flight 1549 on the fifth anniversary of the event 

And while the captain may still be humble about his feat, Sully has been praised by the public for keeping a cool head under pressure, and was named one of Time's 'Top 100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons' in 2009.

His best-selling memoir, 'Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters', details the events surrounding Flight 1549, as well as his early life and military service.

Clint, 85, will definitely draw from Sully's book for the hotly-anticipated movie based on the captain's life, which is being produced by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Sully, who retired in 2010 and now campaigns for flight safety, tells Hannah he's excited to watch Oscar-winning Tom, 59, portray him in the film.

'You know, it's in great hands, veteran filmmakers and great storytellers, so I'm very glad it found such a good home,' he says, adding that Tom and Clint visited him at his home before making the movie.

Sully's full interview airs Wednesday morning as part of a Veterans Day special on SportsCenter.