Q&A
Spar“Ten” With Jeff Konya: 10 Questions for SJSU’s New Athletic Director
By Kenneth Mashinchi
Since arriving at San José State University’s South Campus in July, Director of Athletics Jeff Konya has quickly led the charge for Spartan Athletics in renovating facilities, navigating the landmark name, image and likeness (NIL) decision, and promoting student-athlete success on and off the field and court.
Editors’ note: The following Q&A has been edited for clarity. Kenneth Mashinchi (KM): What has been the best thing about being here at San José State? Jeff Konya (JK): The best thing is definitely the people. I’ll tell you what: This athletic department and the coaches, staff and student-athletes have been wonderful. They’re very supportive, very gracious. My first experience was a women’s soccer game against Santa Clara [University]. We had 14 of our teams come out and support them on the road. Over 200 student-athletes were in attendance, and that’s just carried over through the fall semester. So the Spartan support for other Spartans, that is an awesome platform. The administration’s been wonderful, and also the faculty and staff of the university. Everybody’s been so kind, very supportive, and that’s refreshing. And it’s something that we can build on because I truly believe that it’s the people who ultimately define the place.
President Mary A. Papazian and Jeff Konya at SJSU’s fall welcome press conference to celebrate the first day of the fall 2021 semester. Photo: Robert C. Bain
KM: Can you take me through all the improvements and refreshment of South Campus that’s currently happening and how that’s helping build up SJSU Athletics? JK: Well, first of all, kudos to everyone who’s had a hand in the transformation here at South Campus and this footprint; it’s an amazing place. There’s been a transformation — a lot of it has been unlocked this fall term, which has been really fun. The new intramural and recreation field that’s adjacent to the new parking structure on 10th Street is in use every day. The baseball practice facility is getting some use; we’re putting some finishing touches on some of the aesthetics and operations there, but that’s up and running. You know, our soccer teams played in the soccer complex and that’s going to be awesome when we get the permanent seats next fall, so you can look out and come out and support the women’s and men’s programs with new seating and a new structure. Obviously, the Spartan Athletic Complex is the crown jewel: over $60 million and close to 60,000 square feet of impressive facility coming that’s going to truly transform the space. All of our student-athletes are going to benefit. We’re going to have additional nutrition and food options and more services, and this is going to serve as the home for the soccer programs, football, softball and tennis, and the list goes on and on. If you haven’t been down to South Campus, come on over here. We’ll take you around; you’ll be impressed.
Aerial video of SJSU's South Campus. Video: SJSU Athletics
KM: How are you putting the student experience at the forefront of your time here at SJSU? JK: I think it’s essential that you talk with the student-athletes; one of our central features of our new mission to charge is that we interface and create the best student-athlete experience we can. We call that the dynamic student-athlete experience, and in order to unlock that, we need to definitely talk with the student-athletes and get their perspective in real time and autocorrect where we can. So it’s been a lot of conversations with the student-athletes about what we need to do to provide them the platform for them to become the best athletic versions of themselves, the best student versions of themselves, and the best citizens that they possibly can be. What we’re looking to do is create an auxiliary space for strength and conditioning up in the Main Campus. That is going to provide and relieve some of the pressure that is down here in the South Campus footprint. It’s going to allow our students to have more time to ply their trade, so to speak, but then we’re also supporting the infrastructure academically; and we’re looking to do more things from a mental health standpoint. All these are being done through conversations. The other thing is trying to feature through the media and tell the stories in a creative and different way. I think everybody’s been really appreciative of what we’ve been trying to do in that space. KM: Name, image and likeness (NIL) is a game changer. How are you helping student-athletes to become competitive in this world of NIL? JK: I’ll tell you what: We have an awesome opportunity here in Silicon Valley. We were on the front end. We partnered with a company called Open Dorse, so we were able to create a policy before the NIL California statute came online on Sept. 1. We had the summer to build up to that. Through that, we’ve been able to have video and media and photos, so our student-athletes have an ability to take those and use them for their own objectives in the NIL space. We also created The Charge, a 24-hour HD radio network that’s going to live on the internet all the time. What we’re going to allow our student-athletes to do is tell their stories firsthand and personalize them, and do podcasts and Q&As. They can use those opportunities, and they can brand it in the NIL space personally. We’re the only university athletic department that I know that’s doing this, and we’re hopeful that that's going to translate into some more NIL opportunities, especially here in Silicon Valley with the Beyond Sparta program that’s starting to really take root. And we have so many connections with the Googles, the Zooms and the Adobes; the list goes on and on.
Providing additional space for strength and conditioning is one of the ways Konya is working to enhance the student-athlete experience at SJSU. Photos: SJSU Athletics
KM: You mentioned Silicon Valley; how do you use that as an asset? That’s something no one else has. We have so many great things right outside our campus to access. How are you helping make that a reality for student-athletes? JK: We have to obviously create the relationships with local companies. Plus, we have to create a business narrative for them to try and invest in our programs. I believe the Beyond Sparta program is exceptionally unique — it’s basically a life-skills program for student-athletes that has elements of mentorship, and we’ve had close to 100 folks already being mentored in Silicon Valley from a student-athlete perspective. Those are amazing stories to tell, and those relationships are what’s going to embolden that entire program to be something that people are going to want to invest in. The more that folks get to talk to our student-athletes, the more we’re a part of the entire narrative of this campus in Silicon Valley. You know, not a lot of folks know that the number of graduates from San José State outnumber any other university in terms of employment opportunities in the San José region in Silicon Valley. So we had to take advantage of that, and that’s what Beyond Sparta and NIL opportunities are going to provide for us. KM: Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is something you emphasized when you first came to SJSU. How are you working to ensure it is an equitable and inclusive space in SJSU Athletics? JK: That’s very important. It’s part and parcel to the awesome culture that we have here at San José State University. One of the things we did right away is we restructured our leadership, our executive team, and we created a position for a senior associate athletic director for DEI and campus relations. That [role] has been really awesome to bring onboard because now we have that lens on a daily basis. It’s in the forefront of our decision-making matrix. It’s also collaborating with the campus on things like the Legacy Run in order to respect the legacy of SJSU. We were front and center because now we have the connections to the main campus, and we can partner on these things. We’ve also had formal education trainings in partnership with the university, but we’re also talking with our student-athletes. We have the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. We’re taking part in all these Q&A sessions. We have all these educational platforms that we’re providing. We’re using the Beyond Sparta program to introduce a lot of these topics, so it’s front and center in what we’re trying to build. What I really believe is that the student-athletes themselves need the platforms in order to speak out on things that are important to them. So what I would hope is that they’ll be able to use their social platforms; they’ll be able to even use their uniforms to share what’s important to them because we need to continue the conversation. It can’t be about words; it needs to be about action.
Student-athletes from the SJSU track and field and cross country teams took part in the first-ever Legacy Run on Oct. 30. Video: Ronniell "RJ" Garcia
KM: You mentioned the Legacy Run, which took place near the statue depicting Tommie Smith, ’69 Social Science, ’05 Honorary Doctorate; and John Carlos, ’05 Honorary Doctorate, at the 1968 Olympics. What has stood out to you about the legacy of Speed City since you’ve been on campus? JK: I think the big thing about Speed City in my research is its links to the community. We have an inspirational tale through our track and field program. We want San José State to be a first-choice destination for everyone in this community, and how we’re going to do that is to be able to provide role models; provide the interface; provide those relationships, those connections. And one way we can do that is through this track and field program. We can do it through the legacy and the history of what Speed City has ultimately stood for over the test of time, and that’s awesome. KM: What are some of the innovative ways you’re trying to bring to the global heart of innovation here in Silicon Valley, especially for the student-athletes? JK: In terms of innovation, we’re trying to take it piece by piece, through different elements of our athletic department. One is through media, and we’re bringing the stories to life through The Charge, that 24/7 radio network. I also think we’re going to be really, really cutting edge in our game day atmosphere. We now have some technology with the video board; we’re going to be really interactive with the students, and we’re going to create the traditions around game day. Not just in football, with all of our sports. We’re looking to do that, and we’re looking to push the envelope in that way. I think it’s about making the student-athletes comfortable and helping them be the best versions of themselves, whether that’s through real-time data, through wearable technology as you’re going through strength and conditioning and using that for the benefit [of building strength] or new techniques, or even things in terms of recovery and restoration space. We’re looking at massage chairs. We’re looking at sleep pods. We’re looking at different ways we can rejuvenate the body in addition to trying to make them stronger. All these things are being looked at, and the ultimate goal is, again, to make the student-athletes the best versions of themselves athletically and to create the infrastructure for them to become the best students they can possibly be.
Through innovative ideas like The Charge and wearable technology, Konya is working to help student-athletes succeed on and off the court, field, sand and pool. Photos: SJSU Athletics
KM: OK, now it is time to have some fun. What is your favorite personal sports memory? JK: Sometime during my high school football career, it was in Western New York, and it was — people in California cannot appreciate this — it was in November. It was sleeting, rainy, like 20 degrees. It was a mud bowl; it was brutal. We were on the road; we were wearing white uniforms, and by the second quarter, we were in brown uniforms. I mean, it was awesome. I played both ways. I played middle linebacker, and I played on the line in that game, I believe. And so OK, it was 0-0, right? Defensive battle all the way to the fourth quarter to the dying seconds. Our kicker pulled his quad during the game and was out. So the coach — there was like a few seconds left, the last play of the game — said, “Konya, I need you to kick this field goal.” It's probably like a 35-yarder. It was back in the time when they had the little blocks, the black blocks. I looked in the slush, and I put it down in this mud pit. And sure enough, I made the field goal by like an inch. It was a line drive; it just kind of went over the crossbar, but we ended up winning, 3-nothing. KM: Oh wow, that’s great. Last one for you. You’re starring in a blockbuster movie set for next summer: What type of movie genre, and who is your co-star? JK: Oh, who’s got the privilege to work alongside me? Well, it would be action-suspense. I don’t know; I’d probably have to play the villain though because I don’t know if I can, like, “Jason Bourne” my way through a two-hour movie these days. But probably Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot. I think she could carry the movie.
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Top photo: SJSU Athletics/Jeff Konya speaking to media at his introductory press conference in July.
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