Andre Dawson

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Lore & Background

When Andre Dawson arrived in Montreal in 1977, the Expos were a franchise still searching for an identity—a team that played in a concrete bowl under a roof, often overshadowed by the Canadiens. Dawson, all coiled muscle and quiet intensity, gave them one. He didn't just play center field; he owned it, gliding across the artificial turf with a predator's grace, tracking down line drives that seemed destined for the gap. In his rookie season, he batted .282 with 19 homers and 21 steals, winning Rookie of the Year, but the numbers only hinted at the electricity he brought. By 1981, he was a complete force: a Gold Glove winner who could rob a batter of extra bases in the same inning he launched a home run. Twice in his career—once in Atlanta on July 30, 1978, and again at Wrigley Field on September 24, 1985—he hit two home runs in the same inning, a feat so rare that only a handful of other players in MLB history have matched it. He remains the only player in franchise history to hit 200 home runs and steal 200 bases while wearing a Montreal uniform. For a team that had never truly soared, Dawson was the talon that made the impossible feel inevitable.

In Their Own Story

After the 1986 season, Dawson's knees were screaming. Olympic Stadium's unforgiving artificial turf had turned his explosive first step into a wince, and he knew he needed natural grass to survive. But when he became a free agent, the phone didn't ring. MLB owners, engaged in a quiet conspiracy of collusion, had agreed not to sign high-priced free agents, and Dawson—a future Hall of Famer in his prime—was left with no offers. Frustrated but undeterred, he fixated on the Chicago Cubs, whose Wrigley Field grass felt like a lifeline. General manager Dallas Green, however, wasn't interested. So Dawson and his agent, Dick Moss, did something audacious: they flew to the Cubs' spring training camp in Mesa, Arizona, walked into Green's office, and placed a blank contract on his desk. 'Write in a number,' Dawson essentially said. Green, stunned, finally scribbled a salary of $500,000—the second-lowest among Cubs regulars—and added performance bonuses. Dawson signed without a word. That season, playing on grass for the first time in years, he led the National League with 49 home runs (tied with Mark McGwire) and drove in 137 runs, winning the MVP award despite the Cubs finishing dead last in the NL East. It was the first time a player from a last-place team had ever won the MVP, a testament to the sheer force of will—and a blank piece of paper—that defined the Hawk.

Reader's Guide

Era at the franchise: 1977–1985, the formative years of the Montreal Expos, the direct predecessor of the Washington Nationals. Dawson was the team's everyday center fielder and its most dangerous hitter for nearly a decade. Playing style: A prototypical power-speed outfielder. His swing generated home runs while his arm strength and range in center field made him a premier defensive player. Greatest achievements: Eight Gold Glove awards, the 1987 NL MVP, and a career total of 438 home runs and 314 stolen bases. He is one of only eight players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. He is also one of only five members of the 400 HR-300 SB club. In 1997, Dawson's #10 was retired by the Montreal Expos. 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.

Did You Know?

• Dawson is one of a select group of MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career.
• He is one of a handful of players to hit two home runs in the same inning twice, doing so in 1978 and 1985.
• Dawson won the 1987 NL MVP while playing for a last-place team, becoming the second player from a last-place club to win the award in a non-strike season, following Ernie Banks in 1958.
• He signed a blank contract with the Chicago Cubs in 1987 after collusion among MLB owners limited his offers.
• Dawson's #10 was retired by the Montreal Expos in 1997, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.