Happy Saturday!
He’s a Hall of Famer.
Once an MVP on a last-place team.
He spent 11 seasons north of the border.
In retirement, he has taken a most unusual path.
Who is he? 👇
Trivia Question
What is the only Major League ballpark with a swimming pool where fans can take a dip during the game?
Answer below 👇
For more than two decades, he was one of the biggest names in the sport.
He could do it all.
Hit for power. Run. Gold Glove defense.
In 1996, he retired.
Then came the question.
What’s next?
The answer would be something few could have imagined.
National Archives / Wikimedia Commons
Andre Dawson had one of the great nicknames in sports.
The Hawk.
His uncle gave him the name when he was 9.
Dawson would work out with a men’s team.
They’d hit him ground balls.
Most kids his age backed away from a bad hop.
Not Andre. He attacked ’em like….
A hawk.
The name stuck.
In 1975, the Montreal Expos drafted Dawson in the 11th round.
Two years later, he was the National League Rookie of the Year.
By 1986, his knees were shot.
Years of playing on the artificial turf at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium had taken their toll.
Dawson wanted out.
How badly?
He handed the Chicago Cubs a blank contract and told them to fill in the salary.
Not much of a negotiation, Andre.
The Cubs wrote in $500,000.
Turned out to be a pretty good deal…for the Cubs.
In 1987, Dawson became the first player to win the National League MVP on a last-place team.
His numbers speak for themselves.
438 home runs.
314 stolen bases.
8 Gold Gloves.
8 All-Star selections.
And the Hall of Fame in 2010.
Now about that second act.
Sacoo / Wikimedia Commons
Whatever Happened to Andre Dawson?
After retiring, Dawson stayed around baseball for a while, working in the Marlins front office.
He also invested in funeral homes with his brother.
Then came 2008.
A funeral home came up for sale in Richmond Heights, not far from where Dawson grew up.
The property was a mess.
Shut down. In need of major repairs.
Dawson spoke with local pastors who urged him to buy it.
The community needed it.
Dawson and his wife, Vanessa, purchased the building and reopened it as Paradise Memorial Funeral Home.
Would this be a case of the Hall of Famer putting his name on a building and stepping away?
Not at all.
Dawson went to work.
He drove the hearse, transporting bodies.
He prepared the rooms for services.
Mopped the floors.
Whatever needed to be done.
This was no small thing.
Dawson had always been afraid of funeral homes.
He wanted nothing to do with them.
Now he was running one.
“You don’t know where God is going to lead you.”
And over time, he began to understand the mission.
This wasn’t really about a funeral home.
It was about helping families through the worst moments of their lives.
When the World Shut Down
When COVID-19 struck in 2020, the work became more difficult.
But Dawson kept showing up.
This wasn’t some ceremonial role.
Dawson had spent his first career surrounded by…
The crack of the bat.
The pop of the glove.
The cheers of the crowd.
The sound of his second act was much different.
A grieving family.
A man showing up when they needed him most.
For Dawson, it’s exactly where he is supposed to be.
He walked straight into something that made him nervous and uncomfortable.
And stayed to help.
The Hawk.
Trivia answer
The answer is Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
Beyond the right-center-field wall sits a swimming pool and hot tub where fans can watch the game from the water.
There’s just one catch: the Diamondbacks sell the pool as a single 35-ticket luxury package.
More on The Hawk
Andre Dawson on life after baseball — Dawson talks about running the funeral home.
Watch video
1987 — Dawson hits home run No. 47 and gets a curtain call at Wrigley Field.
Watch video
Hawk: An Inspiring Story of Success at the Game of Life and Baseball — Dawson’s memoir about his career, faith and life beyond the game.
Amazon
A little something for baseball parents and grandparents
A while back, I wrote a short guide called Play Smart, Spend Less — practical ways to save on gear, travel, food and the other costs that come with youth sports.
I’m giving it away free to readers this week.
P.S.
Thanks for reading.
We’re always looking for the next story.
Have a former player you’ve always wondered about?
Reply to this email and send us the name.
We’ll find him.
Have a great weekend.
John Boxley
High N Tight
