Dawson claims 1st Flood award

It was the spring of 1987, and free agent Andre Dawson arrived at the Chicago Cubs’ spring training site in Mesa, Arizona, with a blank contract and the desire to keep playing baseball.

He had a Rookie of the Year Award, three All-Star nominations, six Gold Glove Awards and three

Silver Slugger Awards under his belt from his 11 years with the Montreal Expos to begin his career. Then came the blank contract, which Dawson and agent Dick Moss gave to the Cubs and told them to pay Dawson whatever they felt he was worth. They gave him $500,000 and eventually another $200,000 in bonuses.

Dawson won the National League MVP that year after slugging 49 home runs with 137 RBIs.

Dawson, 66 and a Miami native, on Thursday was the winner of the MLB Players Association’s inaugural Curt Flood Award, which will be given annually to “a former player, living or deceased, who in the image of Flood demonstrated a selfless, longtime devotion to the Players Association and advancement of Players’ rights.”