Dawson to look after his seven younger siblings while his mother worked. Dawson would pay his younger brothers in cookies to toss him rocks for him to hit with a broomstick as batting practice. Dawson's nickname, "The Hawk", was given to him by an uncle at a very early age. Dawson used to work out with a men's team that would hit him ground balls at practice. Dawson's uncle told him that most kids his age would shy away from the ball, but Dawson attacked the ball like a hawk. Dawson attended and graduated from Southwest Miami Senior High School in 1972. In high school, he suffered multiple knee injuries which hampered his athletic development. He did not draw any attention from professional scouts or college recruiters and took out student loans in order to enroll at Florida A&M University. At Florida A&M, Dawson walked on to the Rattlers baseball team as a freshman. He spent three years at Florida A&M which he later said paved the way for his future. Playing career Montreal Expos Dawson was selected by the Expos in the 11th round (pick #250) of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft. He played in 24 major league games in 1976 after making his debut on September 11. His stardom rose in 1977 when he became an everyday outfielder for the Expos, and batted .282 with 19 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He was awarded the 1977 Rookie of the Year in the National League, narrowly beating out Steve Henderson of the New York Mets. Dawson had a blend of power and speed, hitting at least 20 home runs in seven seasons with the Expos, and stealing at least 20 bases in his first seven seasons. Dawson, playing primarily center field for the Expos, also became an excellent defensive player, gaining his first of eight Gold Glove Awards in 1980. Based on his all-around excellence, Dawson was second in the National League MVP voting in 1981 (won by Mike Schmidt) and second again in 1983 (won by Dale Murphy). He was voted the Montreal Expos Player of the Year in 1981 and 1983. Dawson played 1,443 games with the Expos, fourth highest in franchise history, and set single-season club records for home runs (32, now seventh), RBI (113, now fourth), extra base hits (78, now seventh), and sacrifice flies (18, still first). He still holds the Expos