Athletic Director
Fifth
Year
(Youngstown State, 1993)
Information
Courtesy of Youngstown State and ysusports.com
Now in his fifth year as
Youngstown State University’s Executive Director of Intercollegiate
Athletics and his 10th as a member of the athletic department, Ron
Strollo, who began his current duties in July 2001, has worked
diligently to improve the program for student-athletes and those who
support them.
Strollo has brought about facility improvements; functional
organization of the department; improved management and maintenance of a
competitive budget; increased role of the Penguin Club while also
enhancing the overall fundraising efforts; all while bettering the
overall experience and competitiveness of all of YSU’s student-athletes
and programs.
Strollo, who is the school’s 10th athletic director, is a
former Penguin student-athlete who has worked to ensure that current
student-athletes, coaching staffs and support areas have all the
advantages on-and-off the fields of play.
In his four years, Strollo has placed a priority on the
construction and enhancements of athletic facilities. Projects in both
the Beeghly Center and Stambaugh Stadium have provided student-athletes
and coaches with state-of-the-art facilities.
The Beeghly Center (home of the men’s and women’s basketball,
swimming and diving, and volleyball programs) has undergone a $2.5
million rehabilitation project including new lobby and restroom areas,
new sound system, and new lighting over Rosselli Court. The “Coaches’
Court”, constructed utilizing externally raised funds will serve as a
host to Penguin Club members during the basketball games and a
recruiting room for all sports during the day. Last year, construction
was completed on a new women’s basketball office suite. This year,
construction is expected to begin on a new men’s basketball office
suite. Also, significant renovations to the Beeghly Center pool will be
completed.
Stambaugh Stadium (home of the football and women’s soccer
programs) received a new state-of-the-art synthetic field prior to the
2002 football season. Last year, a new scoreboard including a Mitsubishi
DiamondVision videoboard was installed. Renovations to current spaces
such as the locker rooms and weight room have also occurred. Thanks to
the benevolence of the Andrews Trust and the priority Strollo places on
academics, the academic counseling center underwent a significant
renovation and expansion in his first year as director of athletics.
This year, a major painting and walkway improvement project will be
completed.
In the past four years, the Intercollegiate Athletic
Department has had many successes on and off the playing field. Twice in
that span, YSU was recognized as a national leader for its athlete
graduation rates. More than half of the student-athletes have a
cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or better. YSU’s Academic Progress
Rate (APR) is well above the national average for public institutions.
As a new member of the nationally competitive Horizon League, YSU has
won a total of seven Horizon League championships.
During 2004-05, the women’s track and field program won its
third and fourth consecutive championships in indoor and outdoor. The
baseball, women’s golf, and women’s tennis programs all finished in
second place. The baseball program won the third most games in school
history while pitcher Justin Thomas was drafted in the fourth round of
the Major League Baseball first-year player draft. The second-place
finish by the women’s tennis program marked the best finish in school
history. Also, the swimming and diving program had its best league
finish ever.
Over the last two years, YSU has hosted the cross country,
baseball, and volleyball Horizon League championships. In fact, in 2004,
the baseball used the momentum of hosting the championship by winning
the championship and reaching the NCAA Regionals for the first time in
school history. In 2005-06, YSU will play host to the indoor track and
field, softball, and possibly the women’s basketball Horizon League
championships.
Outside of his YSU duties Strollo has been busy representing
the University, Horizon League, and the Gateway Football Conference on
national committee’s. Strollo has completed his first of a four-year
term on the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet. This
year, he will begin his first year on the Division I-AA Executive
Committee. He has also provided his assistance on the Horizon League
finance committee, chair of the Television committee, and as its golf
liaison.
In Strollo’s role as Executive Director of the Penguin Club,
the organization has celebrated another successful campaign while
increasing athletic endowed scholarships.
Strollo returned to his alma mater in 1996 as athletic
business manger. In March 2000, he was named the school’s Associate
Executive Director of Athletics. In his short time in that capacity,
Strollo helped spearhead the transition into the Horizon League.
Before joining the athletic department, Strollo spent three
years as an accountant for Hill, Barth, & King, Inc. in Youngstown while
successfully attaining his CPA certification.
Strollo has strong ties to the local community and to the
athletic department. He grew up in nearby Austintown and attended Fitch
High School. He played football for YSU from 1998 through 1991 for Coach
Jim Tressel and was named captain and most outstanding offensive
player-of-the-year on the Penguins’ first Division I-AA National
Championship team in 1991. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting
from Youngstown State in June, 1993.
A key volunteer in the Stambaugh Stadium expansion project in
1997, he is a member of the Mahoning County American Red Cross Board of
Directors, the Salvation Army Advisory Board, and the Western Reserve
Health Foundation.
Ron and his wife, Nicole, who is an OB/GYN nurse
practitioner, reside in Austintown with their two children, Ryan (10)
and Rachel (7). Nicole is a former student-athlete who competed in track
and cross country from 1989 through 1993. Youngstown State Athletic Directors
2001- Ron Strollo
1994-2001 - Jim Tressel
1983-1994 - Joe Malmisur
1980-1983 - Bill Narduzzi
1975-1980 - Paul Amodio
1945-1974 - Willard Webster
1939-1944 - Kenneth James
1936-1938 - Castle W. Foard
1930-1936 - Jack McPhee
1927-1930 - Al Fairfield
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