Baseball great and HBCU alumnus Andre Dawson gets tournament named after him

4:06 PMBeginning this year, the MLB Urban Invitational, originally created to highlight baseball programs at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), will be called the Andre Dawson Classic.

Dawson, who spent most of his 21-year major league career with the Chicago Cubs and the now-defunct Montreal Expos, is a graduate of Florida A&M University. Even with 12 knee surgeries, Dawson ended his career with a .279 batting average, 438 home runs, 1,591 RBIs and 314 stolen bases. His induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 makes Dawson one of only two HBCU alumni who have been enshrined.

“It is with the utmost appreciation that I take this opportunity to thank MLB for this honor,” Dawson said in a statement. “I am a product of an HBCU program that provided me an opportunity to pursue a college education while chasing a childhood dream. I am both honored and humbled to play a role in empowering students to be leaders in their communities and strive to improve and impact the lives of others.”

Since the invitational began 11 years ago, more than 25 HBCU players who have participated in the tournament have been selected in the MLB draft. This year’s classic will feature six HBCU teams, which is the highest number of participants since its inception in 2007. Participating schools include Alabama State, Alcorn State, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M, Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Classic, which runs from Feb. 16 to 18, will be split between the New Orleans MLB Youth Academy and the University of New Orleans’ Maestri Field. Two of the games on Feb. 17 will air live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST.