Cleo Littleton

Cleo Littleton

Littleton with the Wichita Vickers
Personal information
Born	(1932-12-31)December 31, 1932 Rentiesville, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	May 31, 2026(2026-05-31) (aged 93)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Career information
High school	Wichita East (Wichita, Kansas)
College	Wichita State (1951–1955)
NBA draft	1955: 5th round, 38th overall pick
Drafted by	Fort Wayne Pistons
Position	Forward
Career highlights
2× AP Honorable mention All-American (1954–1955) 4× First-team All-MVC (1952–1955) No. 13 retired by Wichita State Shockers
Stats at Basketball Reference

Cleophus "Cleo" Littleton (December 31, 1932 – May 31, 2026) was an American college basketball player for the Wichita State Shockers, then known as The Municipal University of Wichita.

Biography

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.

He was drafted by the NBA Fort Wayne Pistons 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.

Littleton died on May 31, 2026, at the age of 93.

External links

• Kansas Athletic Hall of Fame profile