The Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide: Getting Money for College at Any Division [Paperback]

Dion Wheeler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1402218842 | ISBN-13: 978-1402218842 | Edition: 2

The #1 book on sports scholarships, completely updated and revised!

$1 billion of athletic scholarships are awarded each year

But student-athletes who aren't big-time recruits miss out on tens of thousands of dollars of financial aid available to them. The problem is students and parents don't know where the money is or how to get it.

• Discover the secrets to getting a sports scholarship
• Over seventeen hundred colleges offer athletic programs.
• Over 500,000 athletes participate in sports in the nation's college programs.
• But less than 1% (about 4,000) of them get Division I, full-ride financial aid grants.

The truth is: 80% of all college athletic opportunities are located outside Division I!

But to seize those opportunities, you must take control of your own recruiting process—recruiting, research and homework, exposure and promotion, and negotiating—all in the environment of a high-stakes contest where only the opposition knows the rules.

This book will give you the edge.

If you aren't one of the 4,000, but are athletically and academically qualified to participate in college sports, The Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide will lead you step by step through the twists, turns, and all too often unpleasant surprises to achieve your ultimate goal of a roster position and financial aid for your athletic ability.

"Practical, step-by-step information in a clear and conversational manner."
School Library Journal

Dion Wheeler, former coach and recruiting consultant, gives students and their parents the inside edge to not only find great scholarships, but get the best offer no matter what their skill level.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Wheeler's guide is not unique but it does provide practical, step-by-step information in a clear and conversational manner. Topics include the recruiting process, financial-aid opportunities, academic requirements, preparing credentials, school visits, and negotiating for financial assistance from NCAA division I, II, III and NAIA institutions. The second half of the book includes listings of sports for the various divisions, institution names, and Web addresses. No coaches' names are given. Much of the material listed is available from high school guidance counselors or the NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student Athlete. This easy-to-read guide is similar to Sports Scholarships and College Athletic Programs (Peterson's Guides, 2004) and Wayne Mazzoni's The Athletic Recruiting and Scholarship Guide (Mazz Marketing, Inc., 2005) but adds to the resources available.–Janice C. Hayes, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Without athletics, Dion Wheeler would never have graduated from UW-La Crosse. Growing up in an institution for dependent boys, he was an average student in high school. But a young coach inspired him to both exploit his athletic ability and to take his education seriously, as they were the foundation upon which he would "prepare for the future." And so he did.

Education and athletics have been the motivators of his time. Despite a few interruptions to experience the business world, he has taught and coached at every level: grade school, high school, and college. He has been a presenter and instructor at business, athletic, recruiting, and education seminars and has occasionally been accused of being a motivational speaker.

In addition to his recruiting experience - 14 years at the high-school level and 11 years at the college level - he managed the recruitment of his two (now grown) children, who were both successfully recruited. One by a Division I state university, the other by a Division II private college. One was an All-American, the other's career was cut short by injury.

His ownership of a college prospect recruiting service was the experience where the final piece of the recruiting puzzle fit. There he exposed, and often negotiated for, academically and athletically qualified prospects to coaches of nearly every sport around the country. His unique grasp of the recruiting process from every angle has prepared him to write this powerful guide.

Dion is retired and lives with his wife, Dianne, in Plainfield, Illinois.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 2 edition (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402218842
• ISBN-13: 978-1402218842
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Without athletics, Dion Wheeler would never have graduated from UW-La Crosse. His father died when he was nine. Not wanting him and his brother running the streets of the South Side of Chicago, his mother sent him to Glenwood School for Boys, a residential school for dependent boys. He lived and grew up there until he graduated at eighteen. He was an average student in high school, but a young coach inspired him to both exploit his athletic ability and to take his education seriously as they were the foundation upon which he would "prepare for the future." And so he did!

Education and athletics have been the motivators of his time. Despite a few interruptions to experience the business world, he has taught and coached at every level: grade school, high school and college. He has been a presenter and instructor at business, athletic recruiting and education seminars. He is currently a member of the acclaimed Education Speaker's Team of the National Collegiate Scouting Association.

In addition to his recruiting experience-fourteen years at the high school level and tweleve at college-he managed the recruitment of his two children, both of whom were successfully recruited. One by a Division I State University, the other by a Division III Private College.

His ownership of a college prospect recruiting service was the experience where the final piece of the recruiting puzzle fit. He exposed and often negotiated for academically and athletically qualified high school prospects to coaches of nearly every sport around the country. His unique grasp of the recruiting process from every angle has prepared him to write this powerful guide.

Dion lives with his wife Dianne in Plainfield, IL.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book and Great Author, August 24, 2010

By 

Esaul A. Viramontes "Esa Guy" (Palmdale, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide: Getting Money for College at Any Division (Paperback)

I am a public school teacher and sports coach who was a scholarship athlete at a division one university; I wished Coach Wheeler would have written this book twenty years ago. I have used his book to help out my kids whom I teach and coach at my school-the book is a valuable resource to help kids understand that there are options to help them attend a fine university or college. I ran into a couple of questions I wanted to ask the author (Coach Wheeler), about his book and he promptly emailed me with some guidance. In today's world, which author do you know who will respond to his readers questions?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My guide!, August 17, 2009

By 

Susie H. Melum "Susie M" (WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide: Getting Money for College at Any Division (Paperback)

Coach Wheeler has written a remarkable book! My daughter, Rachel, has completed a successful junior track season. We were confused and disappointed by the paucity and caliber of recruiting contacts she received, so I needed some guidance. An associate of mine alerted me to the Sports Scholarship Insider's Guide. I purchased the book and we entered a high stakes contest as the book says, "and only the opposition knows the rules". And in our recruiting experience it is obvious, they aren't sharing those rules with parents. The mother of one of her teammates learned that I was devouring the book and asked if she too, could read it. My unfortunate answer was yes. Shortly, I realized that one of the book's most valuable assets is as a ready reference and situational guide. The Goal Setting Chapter for the athlete guided her to learn to set a goal and helped her design a plan of action to achieve it. The Chapter on Questions To Ask is valuable to parents because it brutally defines how little we know of the process and for athletes because it can be handily used during phone calls and visits. The Chapter on Negotiating Skills prepares parents with actual dialogues to use negotiating strategies, devices and tactics that would be the envy of any used car salesman. Four chapters illuminate and candidly explain Division III duplicity in awarding financial aid for athletic ability and teach how to use that knowledge to a parent's advantage. Want to cut to the chase? Find the two "killer questions". I now recongnize that her high school coach can't get her an athletic scholarship and it's our responsibility to create the kind of exposure that can. We used one idea from the book and on the shortest of notice a college coach contacted and talked with Rachel at the State Track Meet, as well as generated an unofficial next week. The mother bought her own book.

Susie M, WI

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, January 11, 2006

By 

Henry S. Monti (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sports Scholarships Insider's Guide: Getting Money for College at any Division (Paperback)

This is a great book if you have a high school athlete who wants to play in college. It really opened my eyes and one coach did something the book predicted he would.