1950s: The era that Ralph built
University president Harry Corbin hired Ralph Miller away from East High in 1951. Miller convinced his star player, Cleo Littleton, to come with him and they created the first true buzz in Shocker basketball.
The Shockers played in the downtown Forum in those days. It was an aging, dilapidated venue where fans were on top of the action. Front-row spectators could stick their legs out and trip an opponent or official. So as the Shockers became must-viewing for fans, Corbin and WU set in place plans for an on-campus, state-of-the-art arena.
WU Field House, quickly nicknamed the Roundhouse for its unusual circular seating plan, was a college basketball palace that opened in December 1955. By then, Littleton had already led the Shockers to a 27-4 record his junior year, which included the school’s first postseason appearance — the 1954 NIT in New York.
Littleton remains the only Valley player to be first-team all-conference all four of his seasons. The Shockers sustained smaller successes after Littleton’s graduation over the remainder of the decade, setting the stage for the first magical era of Roundhouse hoops.
| Season | Overall | MVC (Finish) | Coach | Top scorer |
| 1949-50 | 7-17 | 1-11 (7th) | Ken Gunning | John Friedersdorf (13.3) |
| 1950-51 | 9-16 | 5-9 (5th) | Ken Gunning | John Friedersdorf (11.5) |
| 1951-52 | 11-19 | 2-8 (6th) | Ralph Miller | Cleo Littleton (18.5) |
| 1952-53 | 16-11 | 3-7 (6th) | Ralph Miller | Cleo Littleton (18.3) |
| 1953-54 | 27-4** | 8-2 (2nd) | Ralph Miller | Cleo Littleton (18.2) |
| 1954-55 | 17-9 | 4-6 (4th) | Ralph Miller | Cleo Littleton (21.2) |
| 1955-56 | 14-12 | 7-5 (4th) | Ralph Miller | Bob Hodgson (17.5) |
| 1956-57 | 15-11 | 8-6 (T3rd) | Ralph Miller | Joe Stevens (18.1) |
| 1957-58 | 14-12 | 6-8 (5th) | Ralph Miller | Joe Stevens (15.0) |
| 1958-59 | 14-12 | 7-7 (4th) | Ralph Miller | Al Tate (16.5) |
** – National Invitation Tournament
| Player | Ht. | Pos. |
| Cleo Littleton | 6-3 | F |
| Paul Scheer | 6-1 | G |
| Joe Stevens | 6-0 | G |
| Al Tate | 6-4 | F |
| Don Woodworth | 6-4 | F |
| Off the bench | ||
| John Friedersdorf | 6-1 | F |
| Bob Hodgson | 6-6 | C |
| Don Lock | 6-2 | G |
| Jim McNerney | 6-2 | F |
| Ev Wessel | 6-9 | C |
This story was originally published March 4, 2014 at 3:58 PM with the headline "1950s: The era that Ralph built."