Dave Van Horne: Ranks top 5 Expo Hall of Famers - Andre Dawson
We asked broadcaster Dave Van Horne, honoured with the Ford C. Frick award in Cooperstown in 2011 to pick the top five Montreal Expos who reside in Cooperstown. Van Horne was the lead play-by-play broadcaster opening day 1969 ... and it stayed that way for 32 years.
A Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. Van Horne now works Miami Marlins games as he has since 2001. Van Horne was named the 1996 Jack Graney award winner and in 2014 was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys.
Vlad Guerrero ... is rated No. 5 of the Expos in Cooperstown
And second on Van Horne’s list is Andre Dawson
By Dave Van Horne
To the best of my memory, it was either John McHale or Jim Fanning who first referred to Andre Nolan Dawson as “Awesome Dawson.” Those home runs, hit by the player who would become known by his childhood nickname, Hawk or The Hawk, were awesome indeed. Majestic, soaring long fly balls that disappeared into the night air, out of the range of the minor league lighting.
Those of us who watched the Expos everyday, couldn’t wait to see him come to the Big Leagues, and after hitting 28 of those home runs at Quebec City and Denver, we got to see Hawk for 24 games and 92 plate appearances in September of 1976. However, we didn’t see a single Awesome Dawson blast. We had to wait until 1977. It was worth it. What we didn’t have to wait for, was to see this 6-foot-3 inch physical specimen just walk and carry himself with a strong purposeful stride and a quiet demeanor that was, in a word, awesome. He was broad shouldered; the muscular body formed a V to the small waist, 0% body fat.
He was a leader, sincere, thoughtful and, oh my, was he a ballplayer. As they say, he could do it all — run, hit, hit with power, throw and field his position and those of us who were there everyday, saw all of that, everyday.
Committing to baseball was the easy part for Hawk. The hard part was bringing those football knees with him. They were battered and bruised and torn up. That didn’t keep the player from working hard everyday, leading by example, and giving time to those teammates who needed his counsel, whenever and wherever. Those knees, which required attention everyday from the medical staff, were never used by player for an excuse for a subpar at bat or in the field, for not being able to stop on a dime to make a play. In spite of the pain, he made the plays.
Those knee issues eventually cost him several hundred stolen bases and because of his determination, nothing else. In spite of those troublesome knees, he became a Hall of Famer.
He was always ready and willing to answer questions after every game. A quiet leader, and a quiet, private person. He shared his baseball life with his family. Hawk had a big laugh and enjoyed the company of his teammates and for them, he was a great audience, a good listener and when something funny was said, or seen, he’d break out with that big engaging laugh and smile.
There is no question that in his Expos career and later, as a Cub, he was was loved by fans everywhere and held in awe by teammates and opponents.
For 11 seasons he played for the Expos, then for 10 more seasons for the Cubs, Boston and Florida. I was a fan every step of the way. I’m still a fan.
His Hall of Fame career is one of the highlights of my broadcast career. I saw every day of it for 11 seasons.
