The National Baseball Hall of Fame has decided to recast Andre Dawson's plaque, changing it from a Montreal Expos cap to a blank one. Dawson, who was inducted in 2010, had requested a Chicago Cubs hat three years ago to better reflect his affinity for the team. The board approved the blank cap option unanimously, acknowledging it as a choice Dawson would have selected if available at the time.
Andre Dawson announced on Wednesday that his Baseball Hall of Fame plaque will be updated to show a blank cap instead of the Montreal Expos emblem. Inducted in 2010, Dawson spent the first 11 seasons of his 21-year MLB career with the Expos from 1976 to 1986, where he won the 1977 National League Rookie of the Year award and earned six of his eight Gold Glove Awards. He received MVP votes in five seasons with Montreal.
Dawson joined the Chicago Cubs in 1987 after famously offering a blank contract due to frustrations with free agency and the Expos' artificial turf. In Chicago, he played six seasons through 1992, winning the 1987 NL MVP award while leading the majors in home runs with 49, RBIs with 137, and total bases with 353. He made five All-Star appearances, won two more Gold Gloves, and earned one Silver Slugger during that time, hitting 174 of his 438 career home runs with the Cubs. He later played two seasons each with the Boston Red Sox from 1993 to 1994 and the Florida Marlins from 1995 to 1996.
Although Dawson preferred a Cubs logo, the Hall of Fame opted for the blank cap, an alternative introduced in 2014, four years after his induction. "I always felt that I was a Cub in the Hall of Fame. I just had the 'M' on the cap," Dawson said. "That's what I always related to. That's where my heart was, even though I was six years a Cub. It means everything. It means I finally had the opportunity to provide my input."
Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors, stated: "The Hall of Fame Board of Directors voted unanimously to provide Andre Dawson with the option of having no logo on his Hall of Fame plaque, which will be recast to reflect his wishes. This decision gives Andre a choice that he would have taken if it had been available when he was elected in 2010."
Dawson expressed satisfaction with the change, noting his deep connection to Cubs fans, whom he called "Andre’s Army." The rest of the plaque will remain unchanged.
