TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Andre Dawson, the Hall of Fame outfielder whose road to the big leagues ran through Florida A&M University, received the Governor’s Medal of Freedom from Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday in Tallahassee.
The medal is the top honor a Florida governor can award a civilian. DeSantis pointed to Dawson’s major league career, his giving to FAMU and its baseball team, and his long-running influence across the state.
Dawson grew up in Miami and starred at Southwest Miami Senior High School, but no colleges recruited him. He borrowed through student loans to enroll at FAMU and earned a spot on the Rattlers baseball roster as a walk-on. Scouts took notice, and the Montreal Expos drafted him in 1975.
He reached the majors in 1976, won National League Rookie of the Year a year later and went on to play 21 seasons with the Expos, Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins. Along the way he collected eight All-Star nods and eight Gold Gloves. His 1987 season in Chicago, with 49 homers and 137 RBIs, brought the league MVP award. He retired with 438 home runs and 2,774 hits and entered the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 2010.
Dawson has stayed close to his alma mater and to baseball at historically Black colleges. Since 2018, the major league showcase for HBCU teams has carried his name as the Andre Dawson Classic.
The state created the medal in 2020. Earlier honorees include former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden and musician Jimmy Buffett, which puts a FAMU baseball icon alongside a Seminoles coaching legend on the list of Tallahassee-linked winners.
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