Chicago Cubs: The Heroes of Wrigley Series presents Andre Dawson

Chicago Cubs: The Hawk will forever fly in the skies above Wrigley

At season’s end, Dawson became a free agent and signed with the Boston Red Sox. Playing in the American League for the first time in his career, he served as the designated hitter and give his knees a rest. After a two-year stint in Boston, he played two more seasons with the Florida Marlins, primarily as a pinch-hitter, before retiring after the 1996 season at the age of 41.

The Hawk finished his career with 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI, 2,774 hits, 314 stolen bases and 1,373 runs scored. At the time of his retirement, he joined Barry Bonds and Willie Mays as the only Major League players in history with more than 400 home runs and over 300 stolen bases (later achieved by Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran). He was an eight-time All-Star and, also, won the same number of Gold Gloves.

In 2010, after nine years on the ballot, the Veteran’s Committee inducted Dawson into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. His plaque in Cooperstown depicts him with an Expos logo, something that he publically expressed in disappointment with the decision. He called it “gut-wrenching” to not be going in as a Chicago Cub. During his speech, he would say, “Montreal was a platform but Chicago catapulted me in that status to get in.”

Andre Dawson played just six seasons with the Cubs but he will always consider himself a Cubbie. The Hawk’s unsurpassed determination and revitalization while playing in Chicago proved that he was worthy of being a Hall of Famer and a Chicago Cubs legend.