Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson was named the NFL Alumni Wide Receiver of the Year for the third time in his career and became the first Texan to win the award in back-to-back seasons. He also was honored in 2006 and 2008. Other Texans NFL Alumni winners include wide receiver Jerome Mathis (2005) and defensive end Mario Williams (2007). The Texans hold the distinction as the only team in the NFL to have a player honored over each of the last five seasons.
Johnson will be honored along with the other 2009 recipients at the 28th annual Player of the Year Awards Dinner, to be held Friday, Feb. 5, 2010, at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, Fla. The fundraising dinner will be held during the weekend leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. During the awards ceremony, each awardee will receive his NFL Alumni Player of the Year award from a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who once played the same position.
Johnson, a native of Miami, finished the season back on top of the league with 1,569 receiving yards and was second in receptions with 101, joining future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice as the only receivers since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to lead the league in yards in consecutive seasons. Rice did so in 1989-90 and again in 1994-95.
In Week 16, Johnson pushed his yardage total to 1,504 on the year, becoming only the second receiver in NFL history to top 1,500 yards in back-to-back seasons, joining former Indianapolis wide receiver Marvin Harrison, who did so in 2001-02. It was the first time Johnson gained 1,000 receiving yards two seasons in a row during his career. Johnson's 3,144 receiving yards lead the NFL in the last two seasons. The total is 609 more than the next best receiver.
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TEXANS NFL ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS |
