Despite the opportunity, and the need, to examine the possibility for character development in collegiate athletics, “…there is little empirical study of the moral growth associated with sport participation” (Bredemeier and Shields, 1986, p. 9). The majority of literature that does exist reveals that “athletes perceive sport as different from ‘real life’ and adjust their moral reasoning to a less mature and more egocentric level with this adjustment being labeled as ‘game reasoning’” (Tod & Hodge, 2001, p. 309). Many university athletic programs now choose to implement service projects in an effort to enhance community values and promote character development. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of service learning on university student athletes' character development. Participants in the study were twenty-two members of the university softball team, seven of whom were returning athletes who competed with the university team in the previous season. The athletes in the study were instructed to complete 10 hours of service over the course of a semester at one of three sites: a middle school, an alternative high school, or an assisted living facility. An introductory meeting prior to the service-learning project was held where definitions of service-learning, the components of service-learning, and the purpose of the service-learning project was shared with the student-athletes participating. Communication was maintained throughout the study via e-mail. At the close of the service-learning project a focus group interview was conducted with those student-athletes who had conducted at least five of the requested ten hours and all participants completed a post-service questionnaire. Of the student-athletes participating in the focus group interview, three were selected (one from each site) as representative subjects for further inquiry. All interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and returned to the participants for member checks. The method of reporting the data was parallel to that of portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot, 1997). The convergent themes revealed a need for continuous reiteration of the purpose and the definition of the service-learning project as well as the importance of participant input regarding site selection and extended opportunity to complete the recommended hours. The result of the study suggests that if university athletic departments wish to initiate, conduct, and monitor service-learning projects, a separate position is needed.Keyword(s): athletics/sports, community-based programs, national issues