Pauline Saternow served as a key figure for the Youngstown State Athletic Department as an administrator and a coach from 1976 through 2002.
Saternow worked as an interim Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Associate Executive Athletic Director, Senior Women’s Administrator, assistant Athletic Director and softball and volleyball coach in her almost 26 years with YSU athletics.
She left her role in athletics in January 2002 to take a position as the Associate Director or Undergraduate Admissions for Transfer Recruitment at the request of then YSU President Dr. David Sweet. She spent four years in that role before retiring from YSU in 2006.
Saternow, who joined the athletic department in 1976, worked with five Youngstown State Athletic Directors – Paul Amodio, Bill Narduzzi, Joe Malmisur, Jim Tressel and Ron Strollo. Saternow served as interim Athletic Director when Tressel stepped down in January 2001 to take the Head Football Coach position at Ohio State.
She spent almost 26 years at YSU in various capacities. Saternow was the associate executive director of athletics and the senior woman administrator. In addition to her responsibilities with compliance for the entire athletic program, and in handling administration and personnel matters, she served as a chairwoman and member of many Mid-Continent and NCAA committees.
She was a member of the NCAA’s Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet and a peer reviewer for the NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification. Additionally, she was a member of the NCAA Initial Eligibility Issues Committee and of the Strategic Planning Committee.
On the conference level, she was part of the internal YSU group that helped spearhead the university’s move into the Horizon League in July 2001. Saternow was on the Mid-Continent Conference Directors Council, and has been a former chairwoman of the council. She was the chair of the Mid-Con’s Softball Coaches Committee and was a member of the league’s Officials and Sports Properties Committees. She served as a chairwoman of the Mid-Con Golf Coaches and Women’s Basketball Coaches Committees.
At YSU she was involved with the Administrative Advisory Council and was an active member of the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee. She was a member of YSU’s Heritage Committee.
She spent almost her entire athletic administrative career in Youngstown. She joined the YSU staff in 1976 as an Assistant Director of Athletics in charge of Women’s Sports and was the Penguins’ softball coach. She spent four seasons as the softball coach and led the Penguins to State Championships in 1978 and 1979. Saternow also had a one-season stint coaching the volleyball program in the fall of 1977.
In 1981, she was named an Assistant Athletic Director for the entire athletic department by Narduzzi. Saternow’s title was changed to the Associate Athletic Director of Athletics in 1991. She also became the Senior Woman Administrator at that time. She served in those roles for the next 10 years. In 1994, her role was expanded as the Associate Executive Director of Athletics working with Tressel.
She came to Youngstown State after serving as a successful teacher, coach and administrator at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Saternow was a teacher and a coach at Thiel College for three years after teaching in the Allegheny Valley School District. At Thiel, she coached the Tomcats’ men’s tennis and women’s volleyball teams.
She was a health teacher at New Castle High School for year before teaching elementary physical education for the Allegheny Valley School District from 1969 through 1973. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Health and Physical Education from Slippery Rock University in 1968 and a Master’s in Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975, she began a successful teaching and coaching career.
Pauline and her husband, Paul, reside in Port St. Lucie, Fla. In retirement, she enjoys golfing, swimming bicycling and traveling. Her son Robert Noe and his wife, Lynn, reside in Powell, Ohio. Pauline’s husband and son are proud Youngstown State graduates.
