While the Philadelphia Phillies have won only two World Series titles in the past -- one in 2008 against the Tampa Bay Rays and one prior to that, against the Kansas City Royals in 1980 -- Country singer Tim McGraw is rooting for another win this year in honor of his late father, former Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw.
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During this year's series, some were surprised to learn that Tim McGraw's late father, Tug McGraw, was a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, notably during their winning 1980 World Series run against the Royals. Though it's safe to say likely not as surprised as Tim was when he first found out who his dad was at the age of 11. “I didn’t know he was my dad,” Tim told Larry King in a 2013 interview.
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“I was 11 years old, and I was rummaging around in mom’s closet and found a birth certificate. I was growing up in Louisiana, and my mom was divorced, and we were barely getting by,” he said, adding in a 2021 interview with Esquire that he could never be angry about the situation. “When I found out Tug McGraw was my dad, it gave me something in my little town in Louisiana, something that I would have never reached for.”
Tug passed in January of 2004 after initially being diagnosed with a highly aggressive glioblastoma brain tumor in March of 2003, which after surgery, returned again in an inoperable form.
Recently, Tim has been spotted wearing his dad's jersey, and calling attention to the struggle so many cancer patients, and their friends and family members are dealing with every day. In a post on Instagram, Tim shared a photo of himself with brothers Matt and Mark, holding an "I Stand With Tugger" sign in support of the Stand Up To Cancer charity.
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Earlier this summer, we found out during a discussion with Audacy hosts Rob + Holly that Tim's daughters have all learned to drive in a Mercedes purchased by their grandfather with his World Series winnings. “My Dad has this little Mercedes 280SL that he bought when [the New York Mets] won the ’69 World Series — he bought it with his World Series check,” Tim said of his dad who pitched for the Mets at the time. “He passed that on to me, so all my daughters learned to drive in that."
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