People may engage in sport for multiple reasons, including a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motives. There are, however, a number of benefits accrued by those who are more intrinsically motivated (i.e., participate for the inherent fun or pleasure of the activity). For example, intrinsically motivated individuals are more likely to choose to participate and work hard when extrinsic rewards and reinforcements are not available, experience lower levels of performance-related anxiety, and exhibit greater levels of skill learning relative to those with a more extrinsic motivational orientation. Given these benefits, identifying factors related to the facilitation of intrinsic motivation (IM) is an important research goal for researchers and practitioners alike. According to self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), individuals will likely find an activity inherently enjoyable and will be intrinsically motivated to engage in the activity if the activity is capable of fulfilling the fundamental human needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Consequently, anything that occurs within an activity that impacts the three needs can ultimately influence a person’s motivation. While a variety of factors may influence these needs in sport, the role of the coach may be particularly relevant. Previous research has found an association between perceived coaching behaviors and athletes’ IM; however, these studies have not examined whether the relationships are mediated by the three needs. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to test whether perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness mediate the relationships between athletes’ perceptions of their coaches’ behaviors and the athletes’ IM, and to determine which coaching behaviors are positively or negatively related to athletes’ motivation. NCAA Division I male and female college athletes (N = 280) completed valid and reliable questionnaires assessing the perceived coaching behaviors of training and instruction, positive feedback, social support, and autocratic and democratic behavior. In addition, IM, perceptions of competence, autonomy, and relatedness were assessed. Structural equation modeling revealed that perceived coaching behaviors had an effect on the athletes’ motivation. Specifically, all coaching behaviors, with the exception of social support, significantly (p<.05) predicted the needs of perceived competence, autonomy and relatedness, which, in turn, signifcantly predicted IM. Interestingly perceived autocratic and democratic coaching behaviors were the only leadership styles found to have a significant indirect effect on athletes’ IM. Results are discussed in relation to self-determination theory and coaching effectiveness.Keyword(s): athletics/sports, coaching, research