Currently, African American male students' persistence rates in four-year colleges are tremendously low in comparison to students of different ethnicities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the predictability of selected athletic, demographic, and academic factors on the persistence of African American males attending a four-year university. A correlational research design was used for conducting this study. The data for this study consisted of secondary unidentified archival data for African American male students enrolled at a historically black university in the Southwest section of the United States. The athletic, academic, and demographic factors were all found to be statistically significant in predicting the persistence rates of African American males in four-year colleges. Examining the demographic, academic, and athletic factors of African American male students in college will add to previous African American male student retention research with a focus on increasing retention, persistence, and graduation rates. [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://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]