New York Giants Official Website

DECEMBER 8, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD - Domenik Hixon has been selected as the NFC Special teams Player of the Week.

On Sunday the fourth-year pro made one of the biggest plays in the Giants' 31-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, returning a punt 79 yards for a touchdown to increase the Giants' lead to 31-17 with 5:33 remaining in the game.

It was the Giants' first punt return touchdown since Sept. 11, 2005, when Chad Morton brought one back 52 yards in a victory over Arizona. The Giants had gone 74 regular season games and seven postseason games without a punt return touchdown. Hixon's punt return was the Giants' longest since Tiki Barber's 85-yard touchdown on Oct. 18, 1999 also against Dallas. It was the first punt return touchdown of Hixon's career. He has two receiving and one kickoff return touchdown.

In the Dallas game, Hixon returned three punts for 95 yards and four kickoffs for 70 yards.

Hixon is the first Giant to be named Special Teams Player of the Week since linebacker Chase Blackburn in Week 9 of the 2008 season. He is the first Giants player to be honored for his returning exploits since Amani Toomer in Week 8 of the 1997 season (when Toomer scored on a 53-yard punt return).

This is the third time a Giants player has received a Player of the Week award this season. The previous two were both on defense: Justin Tuck in Week 1 and Michael Boley in Week 11. In addition, Hakeem Nicks was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in October.

Hixon has been one of the best waiver wire pickups in Giants history since joining the team on Oct. 3, 2007, a day after he was released by the Denver Broncos. In the 2007 run to victory in Super Bowl XLII, Hixon set a franchise postseason record with 290 kickoff return yards. Last season, he led the Giants with 596 receiving yards.

This season at New Orleans, Hixon totaled 303 yards, shattering Joe Scott's 61-year-old franchise record by 24 yards. Returning kickoffs for the first time this season, Hixon had 230 yards on seven runbacks, including a 68-yarder and a 45-yarder to set up touchdowns. He returned two punts for 27 and 24 yards, the latter setting up another score. Hixon also caught three passes for 22 yards. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he was the first player to gain at least 300 yards in a game since Arizona's Steve Breaston totaled 324 yards on Sept. 28, 2008.

Currently, Hixon is averaging 16.4 yards on 13 punt returns and 23.4 yards on 34 kickoff returns. He also has 10 catches for 83 yards.