Andre Dawson

Dawson was selected by the Expos in the 11th round (pick #250) of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. He played in 24 major league games in 1976 after making his debut on September 11. His stardom rose in 1977 when he became an everyday outfielder for the Expos, and batted .282 with 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He was awarded the 1977 Rookie of the Year in the National League, narrowly beating out Steve Henderson of the New York Mets.[5] Dawson had a blend of power and speed, hitting at least 20 home runs in seven seasons with the Expos, and stealing at least 20 bases in his first seven seasons. Dawson, playing primarily center field for the Expos, also became an excellent defensive player, gaining his first of eight Gold Glove Awards in 1980. Based on his all-around excellence, Dawson was second in the National League MVP voting in 1981 (won by Mike Schmidt) and second again in 1983 (won by Dale Murphy). He was voted the Montreal Expos Player of the Year in 1981 and 1983.

Dawson played 1,443 games with the Expos, fourth highest in franchise history, and set single-season club records for home runs (32, now seventh), RBI (113, now fourth), extra base hits (78, now seventh), and sacrifice flies (18, still first). He still holds the Expos career record for sacrifice flies (71), and is the only player to hit 200 home runs and steal 200 bases with Montreal. During his Expos days, Dawson hit two home runs in the same inning twice: at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium against the Atlanta Braves on July 30, 1978 [6] and at Wrigley Field against his future team, the Chicago Cubs, on September 24, 1985.[7] As of 2019, Dawson, Willie McCovey, Jeff King, Alex Rodriguez, and Edwin Encarnacion are the only five players who had hit two home runs in one inning twice.

In 1984 Dawson appeared in The Cap, a short film about a young boy living in Montreal that was given a baseball cap by Dawson.

Dawson in right field at Wrigley Field, August 1988.

Dawson played for the Expos until after the 1986 season when he became a free agent and sought a team whose home field had natural grass, as his knee injuries were aggravated by Olympic Stadium's artificial turf.[8] However, due to collusion on the part of the Major League Baseball owners, he was unable to attract offers.[9] Dawson campaigned for the Cubs to sign him during the off-season, however general manager Dallas Green resisted, insisting the Cubs would start Brian Dayett in right field (Dawson had moved from center field to right field in his final two seasons with the Expos, due to the condition of his knees), and that one player could not make a 71–91 team a 91–71 team. When the Cubs opened camp in Mesa, Arizona that spring, Dawson and his agent Dick Moss arrived with a signed blank contract in an attempt to secure a contract with the Cubs. Dawson and Moss' stunt was derided as a "dog and pony show" by Green. After reviewing the contract, Green reached an agreement with Moss on a salary of $500,000 ($1,125,220 in today's dollars), second-lowest on the team among regulars, and added bonuses of $150,000 if he did not go on the disabled list by the All-Star Game break and $50,000 if he made the All-Star team. He earned both. The team also wrote in $100,000 bonuses if Dawson was MVP of either the league championship series or the World Series, but did not add a clause for National League MVP. While he won the NL MVP, the Cubs did not make the playoffs, so he had no chance to earn the NLCS or World Series MVP.[5][10][11]

He became the Cubs' starting right fielder, and hit a major league leading 49 home runs (equal with Oakland Athletics rookie Mark McGwire) and was named the league's MVP, finally winning after the two years as runner-up in Montreal. He also earned his fourth All-Star nod and won the Home Run Derby that year. Nonetheless, Dawson wasn't able to turn around the Cubs' fortunes: although the team held first place for nearly half of May and remained in contention through July, the Cubs finished the 1987 season 76–85, last in the National League East.[12]

Dawson was the first player to ever win a league MVP trophy from a last place team.[13] Dawson played five more seasons with the Cubs, and was one of the franchise's most popular players during that time. His worst individual season came in 1989, when the Cubs won the National League East title. Then, during the NL Championship Series, Dawson slumped terribly, hitting .105 as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs 4 games to 1. Dawson's .507 career slugging percentage with the Cubs is fourth highest in team history.

Dawson in 2009.

In October 1992 the Red Sox signed Dawson as a free agent.[14] Dawson hit his 400th career home run with the Red Sox on April 15 at Fenway Park. Dawson sustained a knee injury early in the 1993 season in a game against the Texas Rangers which limited him to only 121 games in his first year with the Red Sox: "I got caught between sliding and standing up on a passed ball. I was on second base, and I took a chop step between strides and hit the corner of the third-base bag. I had knee surgery and [Boston] decided to use me in the DH role."[14]

Dawson would have knee surgery the following year as well, and only managed to play 75 games in his second and final season with Boston. Dawson played his last two years with the Florida Marlins, where he played sparingly, retiring after the 1996 season. In his final game, Dawson was removed from the field as a final farewell to the fans and the game. The fans gave him a standing ovation as Dawson walked off the field. He returned to the Marlins shortly thereafter when he accepted a position in the team's front office, where Dawson got his first World Series ring in 2003. Dawson also owns The Mahogany Grille, a soul food restaurant in Miami Gardens, Florida, and the Paradise Memorial Funeral Home in Richmond Heights, Florida.

He entered the funeral business in 2003, investing in a funeral home his younger brother owned, and became the owner and operator of Paradise Memorial in 2008. In an April 2020 Associated Press story on how he and his business were having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted, "It’s very sad. Because people mourn and grieve differently, and they’re not getting through that process as they would under normal circumstances. You see a lot of hurt and pain."[15] At the time of the story, his wife of 42 years, Vanessa, was the office manager, while an uncle ran day-to-day operations.[15][16][17]

Dawson has regularly attended Chicago Cubs functions since his retirement, and is a fan favorite. Dawson has appeared in a "Discount Double-Check" commercial for State Farm Insurance that features former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood.

Dawson released his autobiography If You Love This Game: An MVP's Life in Baseball in May 2012.

Andre Dawson's number 10 was retired by the Montreal Expos in 1997.

Dawson finished his career with 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases, and 1,591 RBI. He is one of only eight players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career (300-300 club); the other players to accomplish this are Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders, Steve Finley, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltrán. Dawson is also one of only five members of the 400 HR-300 SB club, along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltrán.

In 1997, Dawson's #10 was retired by the Montreal Expos in his honor (the number had been previously retired for Rusty Staub). After the franchise moved to Washington, the Montreal Canadiens raised a banner in the Bell Centre to commemorate all of the retired Expos numbers, including Dawson's. In 2010 the Washington Nationals franchise placed Dawson in its "Ring of Honor" at Nationals Park. In 2019, Dawson was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.[18]