Cleo Gardner was one of the first of many great Cloud players from the Memphis, Tennessee area. A graduate of Germantown High School, Cleo re-wrote the record books at CCCC. He was the first men’s basketball player in school history to be named First Team All-Region VI in 1975. Gardner was twice named First Team All Prairie Junior College Conference, leading the PJCCC in scoring as a sophomore at 26.9 points per game. He is the second all-time leading scorer (1,462) and third all-time leading rebounder (646) in CCCC history. Cleo finished his collegiate career at Emporia State University.