Hall of Fame
After graduating from Ridley High School in 1973, Mr. Steve Littleton came to Pitt-Johnstown and was a dominant member of the men’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams. Mr. Littleton, Pitt-Johnstown’s top runner in each of his four years, became the school’s first NAIA and NCAA Cross Country All-American, as well as the school’s first NAIA Track and Field All-American.
Mr. Littleton became Pitt-Johnstown’s second-ever All-American as a junior in 1976 when he placed 11th at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Springfield, MO where he finished the 6.2 mile course with a time of 30:23. That same fall, Mr. Littleton also garnered NAIA Cross Country All-American honors with an eighth-place finish in Kenosha, Wisc.
The following spring, Mr. Littleton traveled to Arkadelphia, Ark. and came away as an NAIA All-American by placing fifth in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 14:29:37.
In 1976, Mr. Littleton’s time of 24:19 on the five-mile course at the Malone Cross Country Invitational broke Pitt-Johnstown previous record time of 25:58.
As a senior in 1977, Mr. Littleton was undefeated in six dual and tri-meets, was the District 18 three-mile champion, and was the District 18 runner-up in the mile run. He also won individual medalist honors at the Indiana University (PA) Invitational, and the Penn-Ohio Championships where set a new cross country course record.
He posted personal bests of 4:08 in the mile run, 13:55 in the three-mile run, and 30:17 in the 10k run.
Mr. Littleton continued running after graduating from Pitt-Johnstown in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science. From 1978 through 1981, he ran for the Allegheny Nike Team and won numerous races in the Greater Pittsburgh Area.
In 1982, Mr. Littleton joined the U.S. Navy and participated in both cross country and track. He qualified for the All-U.S. Navy Cross Country and Track Teams and won titles in the Armed Forces 10K and 5K races in 1984. Mr. Littleton also competed in Hawaii and internationally, including winning the 1991 Great Aloha Run that featured over 30,000 runners.
Mr. Littleton received a Masters’ Degree in Administration of Justice in 1981 from the University of Pittsburgh. After serving as a teaching assistant for a year, he began his professional career at Allegheny General Hospital as a security supervisor. Approximately a year later, Mr. Littleton was named Director of Safety and Security at Allegheny Community College.
He spent 21 years in the U.S. Navy as a Naval Intelligence Officer where he served in a number of conflicts, including in Grenada, Lebanon, and Desert Storm/Desert Shield. Mr. Littleton’s last six years of active duty were at the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) in Tampa, Fla.
Mr. Littleton retired from active duty in 2003, but continues to work at USSOCOM as a Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab liaison in the field of technology development.
Mr. Littleton was a volunteer track and cross country coach for 21 years at Valrico, Florida’s Bloomingdale High. He was also a high school and youth soccer referee for 14 years.
Mr. Littleton, a native of Ridley, Pa. currently resides in Valrico, Fla. with his wife, Barbara and their daughter Amber.
“I am honored to be included with all the outstanding athletes in the UPJ Athletics Hall of Fame,” Mr. Littleton said.
