The oldest of eight kids, Dawson was born on July 10, 1954, in Miami, Florida. In 1963, he participated in his first Little League game, displaying his agility at an early age and frequently competing with much older children. Because he possessed a hawk eye at the plate, his uncle gave him the moniker "The Hawk" when he was only 9 years old. Dawson also adored other sports. For Southwest Miami High School, he was a football player.

On his youth baseball teams, Andre would attack the ball like a hawk while his teammates would retreat. He has carried the name "The Hawk" throughout his life. Dawson recalled: "I used to get ground balls from my uncle and get batting practice from him. Unlike other youngsters, I would be all over the place and take a different approach. Many children would withdraw. The ball would frighten them. He claimed that if I attacked it, it would seem to him like a hawk. And during those years, it simply persisted."

One of the interesting facts about Andre Dawson is that Dawson's family usually called him "Pudgy" when he was a child growing up in South Florida before he became The Hawk. A moniker until now he finds confusing and can't explain. When he was questioned about this afterward Dawson said that he wasn't even overweight as a child and he doesn't understand why his family calls him that. It was only a moniker that his family used.

In 1984, Dawson experienced his first down year. His knees were getting worse on the artificial turf at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. But the baseball legend's career-ending knee problems began when he was still in high school, not while he was playing on the synthetic field at Montreal's Olympic Stadium. A sad detail about Andre Dawson is that he played football in high school, and physicians recognized that the treatment for his initial injury was subpar. Later on, in his professional career, it became harder to undo the damage as a result. A one-knee operation may put Dawson's aspirations to rest. Throughout his 21-season career, Andre Dawson underwent 12 knee operations.

In his memoirs, Dawson stated that "a North Miami receiver blocked one of our cornerbacks into me, and his helmet impacted my left knee. I went down instantly. I was in excruciating pain and was rolling about on the ground, so I knew I was badly damaged. I tried to stand, but I was unable to. My leg was shaky as Jell-O. I was sent home by the trainers after they argued that I had just strained a ligament in my knee. Unfortunately, it was far worse for me. Later that night, I began to have a burning feeling in my leg, which made it difficult for me to fall asleep. My mother brought me to the hospital the next morning. I have ripped cartilage and ligaments, according to an orthopedic specialist. The next morning, I would need surgery." For Dawson, it was the first of several knee operations. Dawson narrowly focused on baseball after his initial operation and subsequent recovery.

In 1975, the Montreal Expos selected Dawson in the eleventh round after he made the Florida A&M University baseball team. Dawson was a September 11 call-up in 1976 after spending a year in Lethbridge, Alberta, and most of a season divided between Quebec (Double-A) and Denver (Triple-A). In Montreal's center field, Dawson made the most of his first full season in the majors in 1977. With 19 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases, Dawson batted.282. He won the National League Rookie of the Year after collecting 148 hits and scoring 64 runs.

One of the interesting facts about Andre Dawson is that Mel Didier noticed him when he was playing center field for the Florida A & M Rattlers. Due to other clubs' failure to see his potential, so the Expos scout was able to sign him. Dawson was later likened to Hank Aaron by Didier. Didier noted that "Hank Aaron had the fastest boat I've ever seen" in his scouting report. Andre Dawson can run and throw, and he has a bat like that. He's going to be a great athlete.

Dawson gave his greatest performance to date to usher in the new decade. His first season hitting over.300 came in 1980. Additionally, he had 34 stolen bases, 96 runs scored, 87 RBIs, and 17 home runs. In addition to winning his first Silver Slugger Award that year, Dawson also won his first of eight Gold Glove Awards. In his brief career, it was Dawson's most complete season, and he was determined to show that it wasn't a fluke. After all, during the previous 10 years with the Expos, he had won the Rookie of the Year Award, placed second in the MVP vote twice, and earned six Gold Glove Awards. In terms of games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, extra-base hits, total bases, and steals during his career, he set records for Montreal.

After a successful 1986 season, Dawson was the greatest player in the history of the team and was still regarded as one of baseball's best outfielders. Dawson believed he deserved a superstar deal and was hopeful his comeback would lead to one. Dawson would have been considering offers of more than $10 million a season in today's free-agent market as the most sought-after free agent of the off-season. But in 1987, baseball was different. No other teams made any offers to Dawson. The lone offer came from Montreal and included a wage decrease, which Dawson has consistently referred to as "insulting".

Andre Dawson revealed that Montreal's offer was a $200,000 wage decrease after ten years as a free agent. According to him, if he had to accept a wage cut, he would want to work somewhere where he could once again enjoy the game. "I'll enjoy it, I can unwind, and perhaps moving off the AstroTurf will help to reduce the strain on my knees." The Cubs made Dawson an offer, and he took it. They gave him a blank check.

Dawson joined the Boston Red Sox as a free agent on December 9, 1992. It was a transfer to Fenway Park's second hitter-friendly venue. Additionally, the slugger made his first career shift to the American League, allowing him to play outfield and occasionally serve as the designated hitter to rest his knees. He believed that if he played for a few more seasons, he would have 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. However, during the season, Dawson tore more cartilage from his knee, and his advanced age was beginning to show. He only hit 13 home runs, including his 400th career blast, and he was considering retiring.

But on April 10, 1995, Dawson joined the Florida Marlins and went back to the National League. Before retiring after the 1996 season with 438 home runs, 1,591 RBIs, 2,774 hits, 314 stolen bases, and 1,373 runs scored, he played largely as a pinch-hitter for two seasons. The only players in Major League Baseball history with more than 400 home runs and more than 300 stolen bases are Dawson, Willie Mays, and Barry Bonds. He was an eight-time All-Star and the recipient of eight Gold Gloves. He was hired as a special assistant in the front office of the Florida Marlins.

Dawson was well-known for his dedication to learning his sport and strong work ethic, which is one of the interesting facts about Dawson. He was frequently seen in the dugout with a clipboard before it was common knowledge that professional sportsmen would research game statistics and tactics. He recorded pitching tendencies and pitches.

Perhaps for this reason, at the time of his retirement, Dawson had amassed the 10th-most home runs and extra-base hits in Major League history. He finished seventh overall in the National League's outfielder standings and sixth in both outfield putouts and total chances.

Although Dawson always could hit for power, playing healthy and in Wrigley Field allowed his power totals to soar with his new squad. The season was dedicated to Eunice Taylor, his grandmother who passed away at the beginning of 1987. He was inspired to give it his all. On April 29, he recorded a cycle. Everything was going well. Dawson once held the team marks for career games, runs scored, hits, doubles, home runs, runs batted in, total bases, extra-base hits, and at-bats, however several of those records have since been surpassed.

I now completely understand why it is so difficult to get inducted into the Hall of Fame, said Dawson. "This Hall of Fame is greatly revered. A close-knit brotherhood exists there. That had a significant impact. I believe it to be a process. They won't overcrowd the Hall. More than a few guys won't be allowed inside without a magic number (like 500 home runs or 3,000 hits). It is not like the Football Hall of Fame, where several people are inducted every year. It takes some time since there are guys who deserve to be admitted. I was only hoping that it wouldn't take too long for me to lose interest.

After 11 years there, he was elected by the Hall of Fame to the Hall of Fame wearing a Montreal Expos cap. His plaque took particular note of his unwavering will and resurgence following his switch to the Cubs when he blasted 174 home runs in six seasons.

Dawson stated, "I feel like Montreal provided a platform but Chicago propelled me to that stature. "The stats may appear good enough to get in at this stage, it got to that point. I thought I had used my skills to the fullest extent possible. The message of his heartfelt entrance speech was "Love the game, and the game will love you back."