If Walter Clayton Jr. has been the star for Florida basketball, Thomas Haugh may be its unsung hero.
The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 13.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in seven postseason games. Next for the Gators (34-4) is No. 1 overall seed Auburn (32-5) in the Final Four on Saturday (5:09 p.m., CBS) at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Athleticism runs in Haugh's family − which has roots in Memphis.
Mike Fuhrman, Haugh's maternal grandfather, was a tight end and punter for the Tigers from 1973-75. Listed at 6-4, 230 pounds in the media guide ahead of his senior season, Fuhrman (pronounced FORE-man) came to then-Memphis State as a quarterback.
Following his conversion to tight end during his sophomore season, Fuhrman put together his best season as a junior in 1974, when he was the Tigers' third-leading receiver. He hauled in 13 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown. Memphis State finished that season 7-4, and three of the losses by a combined 10 points.
Fuhrman, who was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 16th round of the 1976 NFL Draft, was also an all-conference and all-state honorable mention basketball player at Southwestern High in Hanover, Pennsylvania.
Haugh's first love was football. But he kept growing, eventually hitting 6-9, something he attributes to Fuhrman.
“I think that’s where I got my height from,” Haugh said shortly after committing to the Gators in 2022.
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X, and sign up for the Memphis Basketball Insider text group.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Florida basketball's Thomas Haugh has Memphis connection in grandfather
