A native of Syracuse, New York, Satalin played college basketball at St. Bonaventure from 1965 to 1969.
When Weise resigned to focus on his duties as athletic director, Satalin was tapped as the Bonnies' new head coach.
[2] Satalin inherited the Dukes' job with low expectations but guided the team to a 12–16 record with a number of surprisingly competitive games.
At the close of his first season, he was named the Atlantic 10 Conference co-Coach of the Year with his replacement at St. Bonaventure, Jim O'Brien.
He oversaw officials with both the Big East Conference and Atlantic 10 and was national director of Coaches vs. Cancer.