Limited research is available on student-athlete development and its effectiveness on the lives of student-athletes. In 1991, the NCAA created an optional program to further support the student-athletes: Challenging Athletes' Minds for Personal Success (CHAMPS/Life Skills Program). By creating this program, the NCAA admitted that student-athletes needed to be involved in other activities in addition to athletic competitions. The CHAMPS/Life Skills program was then introduced to all institutions across the country to provide additional support for their student-athletes. The purpose of this study is to provide a list of model practices in the following areas of student-athlete development programs: student-athlete leadership, career development, student-athlete engagement, community service, outreach, and student-athlete enhancement. It will also help other institutions that are falling short in helping their student-athletes by offering suggestions for improvement. To take it even a step further, this study will determine what impact the student-athlete development programs have on the lives of student-athletes after graduation. To achieve this, I conducted semi-structured interviews with eight student-athlete development professionals from Division I institutions. I used thematic coding to analyze the data. The analysis resulted in four domains: Model Practices, Student-Athlete Development Professional, Additional Support, and Student-Athlete Transition. Within the four domains are thirteen categories. I provide implications about model practices in student-athlete development and their importance in Division I intercollegiate athletics, the responsibility and skills necessary to be successful as a student-athlete development professional, and the step that student-athletes struggle with the most while transitioning into college and out of college. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]