8/29 Andre Dawson day

Cubs fans will have a chance to bow one more time to “The Hawk” on Monday. Andre Dawson, 56, recently enshrined into baseball’s Hall of Fame, will be celebrated prior to the Cubs’ game Monday night against the Pirates at Wrigley Field.

Dawson played right field for the Cubs from 1987-92, winning the National League Most Valuable Player award in his first season in Chicago when he hit .287, 49 homers and drove in 137 runs. Although he was inducted into Cooperstown wearing an Expos cap, Dawson acknowledged the Cubs fans and how special they were to him when he roamed right at Wrigley.

“You were a true blessing in my life,” Dawson said in his speech about the Cubs faithful. “I didn’t know what it was like to be loved by a city until I got to Chicago. … You were the wind beneath the Hawk’s wings.”

The Cubs are not retiring Dawson’s No. 8, which is currently worn by manager Mike Quade, but they will present him with gifts to commemorate his days with the team. In addition, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has officially proclaimed Aug. 30 as “Andre Dawson Day” in Chicago. The first 10,000 fans entering the ballpark will receive a commemorative Dawson cap.

– Carrie Muskat