Andre Dawson voted into Hall of Fame

NEW YORK, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Andre Dawson, an eight-time All-Star over a 21-season, major-league career, was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, officials announced Wednesday.

Dawson was listed on 420 of the 545 ballots returned by veteran members of the Baseball Writers Association of America and was the only candidate on the players ballot to reach the 75 percent threshold needed for induction.

Nicknamed "The Hawk," he will be formally inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., July 25. Former Manager Whitey Herzog and long-time umpire Doug Harvey, both selected by veterans' committees, and baseball writer Bill Madden will also be honored at those ceremonies.

Dawson hit a career .279 with 438 home runs, 1,591 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1977 and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1987. Dawson also won eight Gold Gloves for his fielding prowess at first base. He played for Montreal, the Chicago Cubs, Boston and Florida in a career that ended in 1996.

Pitcher Bert Blyleven and infielder Roberto Alomar just missed being voted into the Hall of Fame. Blyleven was listed on 400 ballots and Alomar 397. A total of 405 votes were needed to win induction.