McGraw revealed to his fans that his uncle was a multifaceted talent: an All-American high school athlete, an 11-year professional baseball player, a skilled guitarist and singer, and an exceptional leather and bead craftsman.

“He was and continues to be a huge presence in the lives of our family and his friends. He was a legend and that legend will grow with each passing year in future generations of McGraws! We will keep his memories alive!! He loved, he was so very loved and he will be terribly missed.”

 

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In 2019, Tim McGraw shared a video from American Innings that told the story of Hank’s time in the minor leagues. He captioned the post:

“Many of you may not know that my Uncle Hank played for years in the minor leagues. An incredible athlete, more importantly, a principled man. This is a very cool insight on his career…Proud of him.”

Hank McGraw, older brother of major league pitcher Tug McGraw, started his baseball career at 18 in 1961. He was a strong minor league catcher/outfielder, hitting 133 home runs over 12 seasons with 18 different teams. Unfortunately, he never made it to the majors.

In the video, Hank McGraw talks about how he successfully fought his suspension for having long hair.

“My career kind of progressed slowly. I had some problems with baseball people. I was doing well. I was, you know, top-ten batting RBIs, home runs. And they lost their minds over my little bit of hair sticking out of the back of my hat. The Phillies suspended me without pay for a long time.”

Hank recounted a pivotal moment when a man named Marvin Miller called him, saying, “We need to win this case because this is going to start happening in the big leagues, and I want a press event now.” Marvin took on Hank’s case, successfully getting all his money back, including the suspension pay and travel expenses.

Reflecting on the situation, Hank noted how different baseball was back then and how he sometimes managed to push boundaries.