The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of parental involvement and parenting styles of the parents of academically successful African American males who graduated from historically Black colleges or universities (Odom, 2013). More specifically, the study investigated relationships among students' perceptions of their parents' involvement, parenting styles, educational level, and family structure with the student's higher education grade point average. An online self-reported student perception survey instrument was developed and administered to 36 African American male participants. Survey data focused on how the graduates perceived their parents' child rearing practices or parenting style during their educational experiences from kindergarten through 12th grades. Additionally, three students agreed to participate in individual follow-up phone interviews designed to provide in-depth information regarding their perceptions of their parents' impact on their academic success. Common themes discovered in the data revealed that parents were involved every step of the way of their educational journey by holding their son(s) accountable, instilling the value of hard work, mandating rule following, encouraging curiosity, fostering a rich learning environment, and requiring academic excellence.