TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ~ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded Baseball Hall of Famer Andre "The Hawk" Dawson the Governor's Medal of Freedom, citing his baseball career, support for Florida A&M University and contributions to the state.

DeSantis called the medal the highest honor he can bestow on a Floridian and said Dawson's support of FAMU's baseball program had helped generations of student-athletes.

Born and raised in Miami, Dawson attended Florida A&M after going unrecruited out of high school. He walked on to the university's baseball team, drawing the attention of major league scouts. The Montreal Expos selected him in the 1975 draft, and he made his major league debut in 1976. He was named National League Rookie of the Year the following season.

Dawson played 21 seasons for the Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins. He was an eight-time All-Star, won eight Gold Glove Awards and received four Silver Slugger Awards.

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In 1987, his first season with the Cubs, Dawson hit 49 home runs and drove in 137 runs, earning National League Most Valuable Player honors. He finished his career with 438 home runs, 2,774 hits, 1,591 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.

Dawson has continued to support FAMU and its baseball program. Major League Baseball renamed its HBCU baseball event the Andre Dawson Classic in 2018, recognizing his commitment to expanding opportunities for student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities, according to the release.

Established in 2020, the Governor's Medal of Freedom recognizes people for especially meritorious contributions to Florida, its culture or another significant public or private endeavor. Past recipients include former Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden, golfer Barbara Nicklaus and musician Jimmy Buffett.

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