Cleophus "Cleo" Littleton (born December 31, 1932) is a former American college basketball player who played for
Wichita State University
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
, then known as The Municipal University of Wichita.
Littleton was the first college basketball player located west of the Mississippi River to score more than 2,000 points in his career and remains the all-time leading scorer in Wichita State basketball history. Littleton's career was also notable in that he was one of the first African American basketball players to star in the
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest.
History
The MVC was established ...
.
Littleton was drafted by the NBA
Fort Wayne Pistons
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
in 1955, but on the advice of coach
Ralph Miller, he opted to stay in Wichita, playing with the Vickers AAU team, and beginning his business career. In 1987, he started his own construction company, Litco Inc., which he still managed as of 2000. He was named the 2004 Small Business Administration's (SBA) Graduate of the Year.
References
External links
Kansas Athletic Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Littleton, Cleo
1932 births
Living people
Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Wichita, Kansas
Basketball players from Oklahoma
Fort Wayne Pistons draft picks
Forwards (basketball)
Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players