Tim McGraw Honors Late Father, Tug McGraw, on Anniversary of His Death

It’s been 16 years since Tim McGraw‘s father, Tug McGraw, died. The famed baseball player passed away on Jan. 5, 2004, from a malignant brain tumor. McGraw remembered his late father on social media, sharing a tribute from a social media account dedicated to Tug.

“16 years ago today, we said good-bye,” the post read. “16 years later you continue to transcend your ‘Ya Gotta Believe’ spirit in giving hope to others. Please visit www.tugmcgraw.org to watch our tribute video about the Man who played Major League Baseball with the heart of a Little Leaguer.”

Above the post, McGraw wrote, “Thinkin about ‘Ol Tugger today.”

McGraw spent the first part of his life believing his step-father, Horace Smith, was his father, until he found out the truth when he was 11 years old.

“It changed what I thought I could do with my life coming from the circumstances I came from,” McGraw said on the Today Show, recalling finding out the identity of his real father. “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.”

McGraw is grateful for his legacy, even though he didn’t actually become close to Tug until he was an adult.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize I didn’t grow up with Tug,” McGraw acknowledged. “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.”

Not only did knowing his father’s success inspire McGraw, but Tug’s death also inspired the 52-year-old to join efforts in finding a cure for cancer, by becoming part of the Stand Up to Cancer campaign.

“I think the first Stand Up to Cancer I did was in 2012,” McGraw told PEOPLE. “That was a long time ago. Time goes by really fast. Lots of members in my family – nobody has not been touched by cancer, very few people. Of course, my dad died at 59 years old, of a glioblastoma, so that’s a big reason why I’m here. But my mom had cancer when I was younger, a couple aunts had breast cancer.

“So it’s been a part of my family,” he added. “I want to do everything I can to find a cure, and find a way for people to become long-term survivors.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Rich Fury