While Tim McGraw is known for his country hits and recognizable vocals, his late father, Tug McGraw, followed a completely different career path. Tim didn’t form a relationship with the professional baseball player until adulthood, but it’s clear his father left a lasting impression on him and on his three daughters – Gracie, 28, Maggie, 26, and Audrey, 23.
The musician opened up about his bond with his late father during a new interview with Big Machine Records. Following his death from brain cancer in 2004, Tug left his son a sentimental gift in his will – his 1969 Mercedes convertible that he purchased with his bonus check for winning the 1969 World Series.
Tim revealed that his daughters also share an emotional connection to the vintage car. "One [car] that I will never sell, my dad had this little Mercedes 280 SL that he bought when they won the '69 World Series, and he bought it with his World Series check," he shared.
"And so, he passed that on to me, and all of my daughters learned to drive in that, so that’s pretty special."
Tim was raised by his mother Betty and stepfather Horace Smith, with two younger half-sisters from their marriage. However, by the time he was 11, Tim discovered that his biological father wasn’t Horace, but former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw. Tug met Tim's mom in 1966 while he was playing minor league baseball.
"I think a lot of people don't realize I didn't grow up with Tug," Tim told Today in 2019. "I didn't know Tug was my dad. I found my birth certificate when I was 11 years old.
"We didn't have a whole lot, and I was in my mom's closet, I was digging through something and found my birth certificate. It said McGraw. My name was Smith as a kid because my stepdad's name was Horace Smith."
However, it's not only the vintage Mercedes that holds a special place in the family's heart when it comes to motors. Tim shared that he kept the SUV he drove when his daughters were growing up.
"The car that I have now that is really special – We have an old SUV that we’ve had forever, and I don’t know how old it is now, and it’s one of those I’ll never sell because it’s got so many memories in it, you know, with my kids growing up and hauling cheerleaders to football games and going to basketball practices and softball practices and drivin’ a bunch of cheerleaders to football games," he said.
"And there were years I’d clean it out and still find pieces of Happy Meals and stuff in there. So, we’ve had a lot of great times in that car."