He was elected to the Hall of Fame

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."