Men's Basketball | 6/2/2026 8:42:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop

In his biography, coach Ralph Miller describes basketball as "just tolerated" and overshadowed by football at the University of Wichita in 1951. Nine people cared enough to buy season tickets.

That changed with the arrival of a star player and a hall-of-fame coach. Miller brought 6-foot-3 forward Cleo Littleton with him from Wichita East High School and the sport quickly grew up.

Littleton, 93, passed away on Sunday in Wichita. He played for the Shockers from 1951-55 and is the program's career scoring leader with 2,164 points. He earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors four times and numerous All-American honors in 1954 and 1955. His No. 13 is retired.

"Cleo and his legacy have left an indelible mark on Wichita, our university and basketball program," Director of Athletics Kevin Saal said. "His love for our players and program was immense. He will be sorely missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time."
 

Littleton's highest scoring games
Points	Opponent	Season
38	WU 74, Seattle 71	1954-55
37	WU 66, Creighton 63	1951-52
34	WU 86, Fort Hays State 82	1952-53
34	Saint Louis 91, WU 78	1954-55
33	No. 14 WU 91, Houston 87	1954-55

Littleton was drafted by the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955. He elected to stay in Wichita and play AAU basketball for Vickers Petroleum Co. He became a successful businessman, first operating service stations and later in banking. In 1987, he founded Litco, Inc., a general contracting business. He attended Shocker games and frequently watched Wichita high school basketball with a group of friends.

"It's all about one word," Littleton told the Wichita Business Journal in 2000. "And that's 'competition.' Wherever you are, wherever you go, you've got to be competitive. That's life. You have to work hard to try to be successful. If you don't, you probably won't succeed. In business that's so true."

Littleton averaged 19 points and 7.7 rebounds for his career and is regarded as the first player west of the Mississippi River to score more than 2,000 points. He played as a freshman in 1951-52 when the NCAA temporarily allowed freshman eligibility due to manpower shortages during the Korean War. At East High, he won the 1951 state title.

"We got a good start without ever playing a game by recruiting Cleo Littleton," Miller said in "Spanning the Game." "The first time I saw Cleo back at East, it was like looking at (future NBA star) Gary Payton. I knew we had a player."

Littleton played an important role in integrating the sport at a time when many schools, especially in the South, did not recruit Black athletes. He endured jeers and threats when playing road games. In some cities, he was not allowed to eat in a restaurant with his teammates or stay in a hotel.

"On road trips, they'd still have to bring food out to me on the bus," Littleton told the Shocker alumni magazine in 2000. "But a couple of the guys were great; they would bring their food, too, and eat with me."

Linwood Sexton, an East High graduate and star football player for the Shockers in the 1940's, served as a mentor and role model for Littleton in handling racial discrimination.

"He explained to me, 'You cannot retaliate against players or fans who abuse you. You just have to suck it up and keep going,' " Littleton told the Wichita Eagle. "If Linwood can do it, I can do it. So I patterned my life after him and thank him for his guidance and words of wisdom."

Littleton was a charter inductee into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame in 1980. He joined the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

Those nine season-ticket holders soon turned into a group so big the university began building an on-campus arena. Littleton's high-scoring performances and Miller's exciting, pressing style of play brought Shocker basketball into the city's spotlight.

The Forum, located in downtown Wichita with a capacity of around 4,000, could no longer hold all the fans. With Miller building the program and Littleton starring, the Shockers began their hold on the community. They recorded their first winning season in seven years in 1952-53. In the 1953-54, the Shockers climbed into national prominence by making the Associated Press rankings for the first time and playing in the National Invitation Tournament, their first appearance in the post-season as a major college.

The WU Field House, later known as Henry Levitt Arena and now Charles Koch Arena, opened for the 1955-56 season with a capacity of more than 10,000.

"We mourn the loss of Cleo Littleton, a true legend on and off the court," Wichita State coach Paul Mills said. "As Wichita State's career leading scorer, his talent and determination have inspired generations of athletes. As an entrepreneur, he showcased a life committed to excellence, community, and perseverance. His legacy will endure in the hearts of all who knew him."