Dawson headed to Hall of Fame as Expo, not Cub

Toronto, Canada – NEW YORK (Reuters) - Andre Dawson's plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame will feature him in a Montreal Expos cap even though he requested to be enshrined as a member of the Chicago Cubs, the Hall said on Wednesday.

The former outfielder spent 11 years of his 21-year Major League Baseball career with Montreal -- a team that later moved to Washington -- six years with the Chicago Cubs and two years each with the Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

Dawson, who retired after the 1996 season, requested to be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a Chicago Cub, the team he played for when he won the only MVP award of his career in 1987.

The Baseball Hall of Fame said it considers the wishes of an inductee but that the choice of the logo on each plaque must be emblematic of where the player made his greatest impact.

"I respect the Hall of Fame's decision to put an Expos logo on my cap, and I understand their responsibility to make sure the logo represents the greatest impact in my career," Dawson said in a statement issued by the Hall of Fame.

"Cubs fans will always be incredibly important in my heart, and I owe them so much for making my time in Chicago memorable, as did the fans in Montreal, Boston and South Florida, my home. But knowing that I'm on the Hall of Fame team is what's most important, as it is the highest honor I could imagine."

While the plaque will feature an Expos logo, the Baseball Hall of Fame said the Cubs, Red Sox and Marlins will also be listed as other teams that Dawson played for.

With Montreal, Dawson won a Rookie of the Year award in 1977 and hit 225 of his 438 career home runs. But it was in Chicago where he became a household name, making it to the All-Star team in five of his six seasons there.

Dawson, known for his speed, power and superb defense, was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame three weeks ago in his ninth year on the ballot. He received 77.9 percent of ballots cast, just above the 75 percent required for election.

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is on July 25.

(Writing by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Alison Wildey)