Fans and teammates respected him for his work ethic

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.