[4] Dawson was a center fielder until knee problems – worsened by the artificial surface at Olympic Stadium – forced his shift to right field, followed by his move to a team which played on grass.

He led the NL in outfield putouts three consecutive years (1981–1983), and won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence.

His father was a major general in the United States Army and often absent, leaving Dawson to look after his seven younger siblings while his mother worked.

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.

He was awarded the 1977 Rookie of the Year in the National League, narrowly beating out Steve Henderson of the New York Mets.

Dawson, playing primarily center field for the Expos, also became an excellent defensive player, gaining his first of eight Gold Glove Awards in 1980.

He still holds the Expos career record for sacrifice flies (71), and is the only player to hit 200 home runs and steal 200 bases with Montreal.

During his Expos days, Dawson hit two home runs in the same inning twice: at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium against the Atlanta Braves on July 30, 1978 [13] and at Wrigley Field against his future team, the Chicago Cubs, on September 24, 1985.

[14] As of 2021, Dawson, Willie McCovey, Jeff King, Alex Rodriguez, and Edwin Encarnación are the only five players to hit two home runs in one inning twice.

Dawson played for the Expos until after the 1986 season when he became a free agent and sought a team whose home field had natural grass, as his knee injuries were aggravated by Olympic Stadium's artificial turf.

Although the Cubs held first place for nearly half of May and remained in contention through July, the team finished the 1987 season 76–85, last in the National League East.

During the NL Championship Series that year, Dawson batted .105 as the San Francisco Giants beat the Cubs 4 games to 1.

He is one of only eight players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career (300-300 club); the other players to accomplish this are Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders, Steve Finley, Alex Rodriguez and Carlos Beltrán.

Dawson is also one of only five members of the 400 HR-300 SB club, along with Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltrán.

After the franchise moved to Washington, the Montreal Canadiens raised a banner in the Bell Centre to commemorate all of the retired Expos numbers, including Dawson's.

[22] Dawson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, his ninth year of eligibility, rising from an initial vote total of 45.3% in 2002 to 77.9% in 2010.

[26] The major impediments to Dawson's election to the Hall had been his ordinary career .323 on-base percentage (albeit accumulated before OBP was even a statistic, and many multi-time All-Stars and even Hall of Famers had even lower), his statistics being diminished in stature by sluggers who played after him in the steroid era, and never playing in a World Series.

Though Dawson had played most of his 21-year career with Montreal, he publicly expressed his disappointment with the decision, saying it was "a little gut-wrenching" to find out he would not go in as a Chicago Cub.

[11] Shortly after retiring as a player, Dawson returned to the Marlins to accept a position in the team's front office, where he got his first World Series ring in 2003.

Dawson appeared in a 2012 "Discount Double-Check" commercial for State Farm Insurance with former Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood.