HFC introduces Steve Littleton as the new softball coach
HFC has appointed Steve Littleton as the new head coach for the Hawks softball team. He will take the helm starting with the 2023-24 season.
Littleton replaces Steve Brown, who had coached the Hawks since the 2016-17 season. Brown, who also had a successful 2010-14 run coaching the HFC baseball team, will remain in his current role as HFC Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance.
“Following Coach Brown will be tough,” admitted Littleton, who served as Brown’s assistant coach during the 2016-17 season. “He has made many improvements to the softball program, and I’m hoping to follow in his footsteps to continue improving.”
Brown has great confidence in Littleton.
“Coach Littleton will do a great job as head coach,” said Brown. “He loves the game, he loves the players, and he has years of experience. I enjoyed working with him when he was assistant coach during my first year.”
He and his daughters are not strangers to HFC sports
The eldest of two sons, Littleton was born in Johnson City, TN. His family moved to Michigan when he was 3. His brother, Jay, is an alumnus of HFC’s renowned Nursing Program. Littleton lives with Lori, his wife of 30 years, in Allen Park. They have four adult children.
His eldest daughter, Kailey, played softball at HFC for two years. His middle daughter, Kelsi, will serve as one of Littleton’s assistant coaches this upcoming season.
“Kelsi knows the game,” said Littleton. “She will be a great asset and has much to bring to the table.”
Army vet and 911 dispatcher has coached for more than 15 years
After graduating from Melvindale High School, where he played football and ran track, Littleton enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in the 82nd Airborne Division, an airborne infantry division based in Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) near Fayetteville, NC that specializes in parachute assault operations. After serving for four years, he earned an honorable discharge with his final rank being Army Specialist (E-4).
He attended HFC (then Henry Ford Community College) on the G.I. Bill and studied criminal justice. He served as a 911 dispatcher for the Romulus Police Department for 30 years, retiring in 2013. He works part-time as a dispatcher, which allows him the opportunity to coach.
“I’ve been a coach for more than 15 years. I began coaching hardball for my son’s Little League team and moved to softball more than 12 years ago. I coached travel softball for 12 years,” he said. “None of this would be possible without the support of my wife, my family, and my friends. I’m blessed to have a great support system that allows me to coach and enjoy this new adventure at HFC.”
“I want to help them believe they can do anything”
Prior to returning to HFC as the head softball coach, Littleton served for 5½ years as an assistant coach with the Allen Park High School softball team, which was state runner-up in 2021 and won a state title in 2022.
“Our coaching staff was named coaching staff of the year for Division 5 under the National Fastpitch Coaches Association,” said Littleton, who is thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at the college level. “I consider it a great honor to help college athletes continue playing a sport they love, which is also a sport I love. The best part about coaching is helping players achieve their goals.
“I want to be the coach to help them believe they can do anything,” he added. “What I find the most challenging is getting the players to play in a relaxed and well-coached way, have fun, and don’t let the outside noise distract them from doing their best. I want them to become the best versions of themselves. I’m looking forward to building a culture where players will enjoy their short time at HFC and will later look back and remember they played and worked hard and still had some fun and made lifelong friends.”