This story originally appeared in the football game day program on Oct. 8.


Malik Hamm met Lafayette first-year head coach John Troxell last spring in the weight room of the 24,000-square foot Bourger Varsity Football House at the west end of Fisher Stadium.

    Hamm was on the back end of his time on College Hill. The senior defensive lineman was planning to leave for graduate school after the semester and take his one year of eligibility with him.

    Troxell talked to Hamm a few times in the weight room. The coaching staff's commitment to winning came through to Hamm, who also had significant bonds with many of the returning players.

    It led the Baltimore resident to re-think his immediate future plans.

    The 22-year-old was just shy of the program's career sacks record, held by Harrison Bailey, current principal at Liberty High School in Bethlehem.

    He and Bailey developed a relationship through Lafayette football's monthly mentorship program.

    Hamm wrestled with the idea before deciding to return for one more season, which would be the first for Troxell, a Lafayette alum who played with Bailey.

    "I thought he already made a clear decision to leave," Troxell said. "We all kind of talked about the best recruit we could get would be getting Malik to stay.

    "When he came and told us, it was ... unexpected."

    Hamm's decision was based on the roots he planted on College Hill. He was about further developing relationships, not setting records.

    The defensive lineman is accomplishing both. He broke Bailey's career sacks record in the first quarter of the Sept. 24 game against Penn, when he decked Aidan Sayin for a 13-yard loss and the 26th sack of his career.

    Hamm added a half-sack later against Penn and blocked a field goal in the Penn and Bucknell games.

    "My decision to stay seemed like a no-brainer," Hamm said. "I liked being around the new coaches and seeing what they are trying to build. I wanted to commit to them.

    "I feel like it's a whole new class of players who came in and I wouldn't have been as close with them as I am now, and being around the guys for one more year is an amazing opportunity."

    Bailey set the previous record (25) in the 1995 season finale against Lehigh. Hamm tied it with a sack in the 2022 season opener against Sacred Heart. His career total is tied for eighth in Patriot League history.

    "He's very relentless to the ball," said Lafayette outside linebackers coach Andrew Seumalo, who previously was Hamm's defensive line coach. "He has great strength. He works really hard in the weight room and uses that leverage on the line. He works his moves there so he can get to the quarterback. He knows how to use his strength and power to his advantage.

    "I think the whole team loves him. He's an energizer to the whole group. He knows what to say, how to get guys going and when to say it. He really has the pulse of the team. I don't think anyone has a disparaging thing to say about Malik."

    Hamm is a psychology major and a team co-captain this season. He is taking everything he can from this extra year of experience, not just on the football field or weight room.

    The 6-foot-3, 246-pounder is making the most of his off-the-field engagement with his teammates and monthly mentor meetings with former Lafayette players who have moved on to successful post-athletic careers.

    Bailey was a two-time all-Patriot League selection and a member of two league championship teams in 1992 and '94. He also broke a 42-year-old discus record in 1995. Bailey's mark stood until 2016.

    He went on to play in the Arena Football League before turning to a career in education. Bailey was named the Pennsylvania Principals Association's Secondary Principal of the Year in 2021.

    Bailey and Hamm met when the Lafayette alum was invited to talk to the defensive line about pass rushing.

    "Ever since I met him, he's been a consummate gentleman," Bailey said of Hamm. "He's very coachable and very interested in getting better in all facets of the game. I don't know if he's ever missed a (mentor) meeting and always is engaged. His academic abilities speak for themselves. What I know of him is that he is a really great guy and one who is looked up to by the rest of his team."

    Hamm is fifth on the Leopards with 23 tackles entering Saturday's home game against Princeton. He also leads Lafayette in tackles for loss (6.5), quarterback hurries (5), sacks (3) and blocked kicks (2).

    But his value goes beyond the statistics.

    "He is a leader for the team," Seumalo said. "He does the right things, all the little things that lead to winning and on-field success. He finds ways to get better. He's a great example of how to do things the right way, and if you do, how it can lead to a lot of success.

    "I think you can teach certain things, but a lot of it is genetics. There is some stuff that is hard to teach. You can teach certain moves, but ultimately it's the player that's out there."

    Hamm gets a special charge out of sacking a quarterback. It is a reward for the ultimate pursuit by a defensive lineman, a payoff for the practice grind, work in the weight room and diligence in film study.

    It also is a big emotional booster for a defense and can shift momentum in a game.

    Troxell believes the Leopards get an extra rush of adrenaline when someone as well respected and liked as Hamm gets one. He also knows Hamm's decision to use his final season of eligibility at Lafayette could determine what could come next year.

    "There was a scout here from the Seattle Seahawks," the Lafayette head coach said, "and he said the best thing Malik did was come back and put the attention on him. If he was at a bigger school and went somewhere else, the attention would be on 10 to 12 guys.

    "We can put him in a position to shine because he can play a different style here. We can get him to rush. We can get him to drop back (in coverage), what NFL teams want to see him do. For him, I do think it was the right decision for his career, and it was great for us."

    All the statistics are great and Hamm wanted to set the record, but nothing, he said, will give him a bigger charge than winning.

    "It's always in the back of your mind," he said about the record. "But I'm focusing more on the wins than the sacks. You can get a sack and still lose the game.

    "I focus on winning and letting the other stuff come."

    Hamm coming back to Lafayette for one more season has put smiles on a lot of faces inside the Bourger Varsity Football House and in Fisher Stadium. And, who knows? Lafayette's win last Saturday at Bucknell could be the start of a run toward a Patriot League championship.

    And nothing would make Hamm happier than raising that trophy with his friends.