Andre "Hawk" Dawson is headed to Cooperstown, where he will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Dawson played 21 years in the major leagues, including six with the Chicago Cubs (1987-1992). Dawson has earned the respect of his fellow players because of his strength, tenacity and commitment to the sport. After he rejected a $2 million offer from Montreal in 1987, no team stepped forward to hire him. He then offered to sign a blank contract and let his new employer fill in the blank. The Cubs took the bait, signing him for $500,000. Dawson kept his word and worked hard for the team, hitting 49 homers, driving in 137 runs and winning the MVP award. Because Dawson came through during the steroid era, many thought he would not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2005, Ryne Sandberg used part of his Hall of Fame induction speech to talk about Dawson and how he should be in the Hall of Fame, challenging Cooperstown to do the right thing. They obviously did.
—Nsenga K. Burton