Tim McGraw on Finding out Tug McGraw Was His Father: 'I Found That Grit Inside of Me'

For much of Tim McGraw's childhood, he believed his last name was Smith, which was the name of his stepfather. But when he was 11, he realized his father was actually professional baseball player Tug McGraw, which was initially unsettling and confusing for the Louisiana native. But as he grew up, McGraw saw Tug's success, which changed the entire trajectory of McGraw's life.

"It changed what I thought I could do with my life coming from the circumstances I came from," McGraw said on the Today Show. "I felt like when I found that out he's a professional baseball player who's successful, to me, it made me think that blood is in my veins, so that ability is in there. So I found sort of that grit inside me that he must have had in order to succeed at what he did. And it changed what I thought I could make out of my life."

Not that it was easy for McGraw. After thinking for years another man was his father, the truth was initially unsettling for the adolescent.

"I think a lot of people don't realize I didn't grow up with Tug," said the singer. "I didn't know Tug was my dad. I found my birth certificate when I was 11 years old. And, like I said, 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."

McGraw didn't get to know his father, who passed away in 2004 at the age of 59 from a brain tumor, until adulthood. But the desire to succeed permeated everything he did, including his drive to become a successful entertainer, which McGraw did almost too well, until his wife, Faith Hill, intervened.

"When things happen and you succeed beyond your wildest dreams and you're playing all these great shows and, you know, the party's going on," McGraw said. "And then you're married and you have kids and all of a sudden your wife looks at you and says, 'You know, you're getting a little overboard and you need to make some decisions.' It makes a big impact on you."

McGraw used that moment as the catalyst for getting shape, cutting out junk food and alcohol, and focusing on his physical health. The results can be found in his new book, Grit and Grace, out now.

Photo Credit: Getty / John Sciulli