CASTLE ROCK — For the record, yes, he’s well aware his name is Tim McGraw, and thank you.
If only he had a dollar for every time someone met him, then replied: “Tim McGraw really?”
But there will be no recording contracts for this 17-year-old Douglas County High School senior. His father’s an educator, not a quirky former relief pitcher who was effective in storied World Series runs, and McGraw’s faith up and down the hills from this unique Class 5A setting was rewarded this month by being a central figure in his school’s first football championship.
For a kid who never has had a job, The Denver Post 2005 Gold Helmet winner is rich. The 55th selectee as Colorado’s top senior football player, scholar and citizen was symbolic of the Huskies’ coming-out (others say surprise) party that combined rolling up sleeves in the areas of athletic performance, academics and character. It was savored over 14 weeks by a ravenous following thrilled to be along for a ride that hadn’t previously been through town.
As far as McGraw is concerned, it should be a two-way street.
“It’s really rewarding to give back,” McGraw said of a Huskies’ title run that is considered community service in every sense to Castle Rock folks. “I’ve had so many things so awesome in life. It has been great.”
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McGraw on the field.
For McGraw and the Huskies, it began after the new year.
“Ever since January, we knew we could do it,” he said of winning the Class 5A championship. “I’m not surprised at all.”
No, but others surely were as the Huskies hadn’t done so, not even come close, in the previous 108 years. They had won only five league titles and no big-school playoff games. The opening of Ponderosa in nearby Parker and a string of Highlands Ranch schools within the past 20 years made it a game for Douglas County-area talent.
But McGraw, coming off elbow surgery, working diligently in the weight room and running with nearly 200 others, sensed a team with a strong line could do it – knock off 5A’s traditional powers in the Centennial and Jefferson County leagues.
Hard work won.
“We got in (the weight room) hard, ran hard as a team and got close,” McGraw said.
It got to the point, he said, “that by the end of the year, we wanted to win the next week so we could practice again.”
For a tackle who admittedly “barely lettered in 2004,” McGraw, 6-feet-2, 240 pounds, was asked to be the center, and he took it literally.
He called the huddles, made the line calls, protected the passer and was the center of attention in helping Douglas County power its way to 13 consecutive victories after dropping its opener by a point in the closing seconds.
“I wouldn’t trade him for any center in the state,” said Andy Muns, the Huskies senior who flirted with 3,000 yards rushing and 40 touchdowns in 2005.
McGraw’s leadership, which ranged from pancake blocks to consistently getting the ball back to quarterback Keiffer Garton, set an example for Douglas County underclassmen, but was highlighted by tying together a tight, talented and strong offensive wall that won the line of scrimmage early and often.
“They were the most physical team we played,” Mullen coach Dave Logan said.
Said McGraw, “I attribute most of my success to the weight room.”
Squatting and cleaning is one thing for a lineman; desire is another.
McGraw, who also overcame having a hand smashed between two helmets among the considerable wear and tear of interior linemen, previously had been relegated to a lower-level guard.
“He’s the kind of kid who worked his way into the player he is,” Huskies coach Jeff Ketron said. “He’s a leader.”
As the ride mounted, all Douglas County recruiting was put on hold. Tight end Steve Fendry and lineman Eric Lawson had committed to the University of Colorado before summer practice.
For McGraw, Yale has shown interest.
“I think I could play in the Ivy League,” he said.
He’s coming out of a special group and won’t forget it, but refuses to be caught reliving it for the next 50 years.
He’d rather cherish it and begin anew.
“I hate it,” McGraw said. “I hate not being able to play with these guys anymore. We were such a great team, no individuals. Maybe in college football we can build a whole new team and do this over again on a bigger scale.”
McGraw in the classroom.
A is more than a vowel in McGraw. It’s also the only grade he has received in 11 1/2 years of school.
His father, Pat, has been in education for 23 years and revels that his oldest of four sons has always been a card-carrying member of the A team.
“I think it’s a direct reflection of my wife’s good genetics,” Pat said of his wife, Jennifer, formerly a stay-at-home mom who now includes teacher’s aide among the many duties in a family of six.
Seriously, he added, “we’ve just always valued education. We’ve never said, ‘Get A’s.’ We just said, ‘Work hard.”‘
Their oldest son had no problem with it, even understood it.
“My dad and mom throughout have stressed the importance of school,” Tim McGraw said. “If I don’t get good grades, nothing else matters.”
It began in the first grade.
“I started good habits and have never known anything else,” he said. “I’ve always been getting it done the best I can.”
McGraw hasn’t taken intro to anything. For two years at Douglas County, he toiled in the International Baccalaureate program, a prestigious load of courses, heavy on the load.
“It controls your life,” McGraw said, echoing all in- state IB students who put in more time than new business owners.
Entering his junior year, he switched to advanced-placement and honors courses. He has earned college credit hours with more on the way.
His 4.6 grade-point average, which ranks him in the top six of his class, hasn’t been easy to maintain, but it’s worth it. He also scored 32 (of a possible 36) on the ACT and 2,060 (of a possible 2,400) on the SAT. In recent years, the SAT added a writing category and his score would be the equivalent of a 1,400 on the old scale. He’s also captain of the Science Bowl team.
Becoming an Ivy League student-athlete is a realistic goal.
“He takes the most challenging courses available,” said Edna Doherty, the longtime principal at Douglas County. “He’s one of those rare individuals who students and teachers alike respect. He has a constant pursuit of knowledge and in virtually everything he does, he does well.”
McGraw’s options on a career remain open with education, business or pre-law among the leaders.
“My parents and Coach Ketron have prepared me for it,” McGraw said. “Football and academics go hand-in-hand.”
A standout citizen.
“Why wouldn’t I want to do this? I’ve been so fortunate,” McGraw said. “It’s so very, very important.”
Community service, giving back to others or just being a good person always has been a daily routine for the Colorado native.
“He’s a sweetheart,” Doherty said.
Through school, McGraw has performed a wide range of social tasks through the National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He’s also active in the Link Crew in which upperclassmen mentor incoming freshmen.
“The younger kids like being with Tim, they look up to him,” Ketron said.
But his value to others goes well beyond school.
Most youth camps in the area have included McGraw in their mix. There’s also Operation Christmas Child in which he helps put together a holiday for disadvantaged children throughout the world. He has helped send gifts to places such as Africa and Asia.
One of his personal favorites is being involved with Horsepower Inc., a program instituted by one of his grandfathers, Oneil McCaffety. It teaches handicapped children how to build self-esteem and confidence through horseback riding.
“You should see some of their faces when they do it,” McGraw said. “And teaching in the camps is great. It’s awesome. All of the work I’ve put in over the years shows the little kids it’s worth it.”
He promises to continue his efforts no matter where he finds himself.
Even with the accolades coming McGraw’s way, Muns doesn’t foresee his friend changing any time soon.
“He’s just a normal guy, just totally cool,” Muns said. “When I first moved here he was the first guy I got to be friends with, and he’s just a good, normal guy.”
Next, McGraw hopes to settle on a college, keep his grades up, maybe try out for the baseball team in the spring and, ultimately, enjoy the rest of his senior year, a culmination of sorts of effort leading to success with the promise of more.
“I think I’m ready,” he said.
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Neil Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
