Indiana University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Ruth Podbielski, "who did not follow where the path led, but instead went where there was no path and left a trail." So read the inscription that accompanied the December,1995, Heritage award presented to her by the Division of Girls' and Women 's Sports of the Pennsylvania Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
That, however, was only the most recent of a number of distinctions that have come Podbielski 's way in a career that now spans more than 40 years. The term most often applied is that she is  the "founder" of the IUP women's athletic program.
Longtime Associate Director of Athletics (beginning in 1970) and a leader in IUP athletic administration and teach ing from 1955, Podbielski retired from full-time service in 1987. She continues, however, to be a positive influence on the university's athletic tradition.
!UP's  women's sports endowment fund, for example, which  provides scholarships to student-athletes on a cross section of teams, is named in her honor.
In her full-time tenure on campus, many coaches came and went, athletic directors changed, new complexes to house teams an d fans were built, and entire new sports and programs were introduced. One factor remained a constant-Ruth Podbielski 's leadership and dedication.
In 1983, a Pittsburgh Press survey selected IUP as the leader of all Tri-State Area college and university women's sports programs in terms of the number of sports sponsored, the emphasis placed on them, and the ambitions it had  for their success.
Particular highlights while and/or very soon following Podbielski's  retirement  included  USGF (Un ited States Gymnastics Federation) national  championships  and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles in women's basketball , cross country and track and field.
Her  involvements led to leadership roles in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and at the national level, significantly with the AIAW  (Association  of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) that predated more recent NCAA programs.
"Pod," as she is known to literally thousands of associates and IUP alumni,  taught health and physical educati on on campus for 15 years after having graduated from Slippery Rock in 1949 and earning a master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh.
Concurrent with her teaching (she attained the rank of professor), Podbielsk i  coached basketball and volleyball in their pre-varsity stages and directed women's intramurals. She also served in a variety of university-wide leadership positions.