Walk down the corridor of the Becker College athletic offices, and you’ll pass the Hawks’ Battle Call and a Becker Family Covenant outlining the values held by the Becker football family. In Head Coach Mike Lichten’s office, a mantra is prominently displayed: Last Play, Never Quit.

“That’s something I brought here with me,” Lichten said. Entering his fourth season as head coach, the 28-year-old has also brought dedication to building a football program steeped in commitment and accountability, academic excellence and community service. But it hasn’t been an easy road.

“I’m the fourth head coach in nine seasons,” said Lichten, whose 7-23 record makes him the winningest coach in the program’s short history.

But Becker football is on the rise. The Hawks are coming off their most successful season, in which they earned the most wins in team history and finished first in the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) in passing yards per game. The coach has also seen a dramatic increase in player retention and a hike in the team’s average GPA.

“We’ve had a very steep hill to climb,” he said. “But we climb it diligently every day. We’re heading in the right direction.”

According to Lichten, the program is “night and day” since he was hired at age 23, making him one of the, if not the, youngest coaches in college football.

“When I got here, it was all about recruiting as many kids as possible and winning with them,” he said. Now, Lichten and his staff have a strategy: recruit great people, guys who will spend four years contributing to Becker on and off the field; encourage players to win while they’re here, not just on the field but by having them learn more about themselves and what they are capable of; and make sure players graduate and become valuable alumni who are successful in their chosen fields.

Alumni like Melvin Booker ( 2013), a criminal justice major who was recently offered lucrative contracts from the CFL and FBI (who originally didn’t know what a first, second or third down meant); Cameron Coe-Smith (2012), who worked full-time jobs throughout college while playing football and is now teaching elementary school in Malden; and Gary Clark (2009), who completed two tours in Iraq before attending Becker and is now a state marshal in Connecticut and an active alumnus dedicated to mentoring guys in the current program.

“There are so many others like them,” said Lichten, who’s hoping there’s plenty of cream in this year’s crop. Becker’s 2014 squad is made up of 36 freshmen and 14 seniors ~ the first in which all of the seniors were recruited by Lichten and his staff. “It’s exciting for us to see the whole process come together,” he said.

Lichten thinks this is the best group of Becker football players he’s had, which bodes well for this season’s goal of winning the conference. “That’s the goal of any team,” he said. “But we want to go to the playoffs and win at least one game. No ECFC team has ever won a playoff game. We want to be the first.”

Although Lichten said that programs must measure success in wins, he insists it isn’t the only barometer he uses. “The best moment for me is watching these kids graduate,” Lichten said. “Many of these kids are the first to graduate in their families. It’s why I do what I do. Some I’ve had to drag kicking and screaming, but that is the biggest and most important part of my job.”

It’s about passion and persistence. Last play, never quit.

For more information, visit beckerhawks.com/sports/fball/index.