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Tim McGraw paid tribute to his late father on what would have been the MLB star’s 79th birthday. McGraw shared a throwback photo with the late Tug McGraw on Instagram on Wednesday evening (August 30), wishing a happy birthday to “Tugger” with a hashtag nodding to his signature phrase: “Ya Gotta Believe.”
Tug McGraw, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets during his career, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2003 and died the following year in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was 59. The “Standing Room Only” singer has previously paid tribute to his late father, including at the World Series last year (cheering for the Phillies in is dad’s jersey), on previous birthdays and on St. Patrick’s Day, Tug McGraw’s “favorite holiday,” McGraw previously said. “He was very proud of ‘McGraw,’ and being Irish. Usually in spring training, when they would have spring training and he would pitch, he actually had a green Phillies uniform that he would wear out into the game.”
McGraw recently released his long-awaited, 13-track studio album, Standing Room Only, a collection of “life affirming” songs that the award-winning country star hopes will inspire listeners. The project includes the hit title track, along with “Hold On To It,” “Remember Me Well,” “Hey Whiskey,” “Cowboy Junkie,” “Some Songs Change Your World” and other fan-favorite tracks. Find the full album on iHeartRadio here.