Jeff Konya is one of us.
He’s a movie buff, dropping references mid-conversation with the ease of someone who’s seen some of his favorites more times than he can count. He loves a good practical joke. On the golf course, he admits to occasionally letting an “inappropriate” word slip, and if you think you can out-drive him, know his swing “resembles a hockey stick” more than a 7-iron. But that’s what makes Jeff Konya so likable. He is one of us.
And then there’s the chair.
No, not the figurative “chair” that comes with being an athletic director.
This is Jeff Konya’s massage chair — the place where much of San José State’s business gets done, and where more than a few big decisions have been made. It’s also his refuge, a quiet corner where the weight of leading a Division I athletic department can melt away, if only for a few moments.
“There’s a lot,” Konya said with a grin, when asked how many conversations and decisions have happened from that chair. “In fact, most people know if they’re talking to me outside of normal hours, I’m most likely on the massage chair.”
For someone who carries what he calls a “heavy weight on the shoulders” as an FBS athletic director, that chair is more than just furniture. It’s the balance between his public, high-stakes role and the person he’s always been at his core — a competitive, curious, quick-to-laugh kid from Detroit. Another West Coast athletic director described Konya as “easily one of the smartest guys in the room, one step ahead of everybody — a great athletic director,” a reputation built not just on results, but on the way he connects with people while carrying that heavy weight.
Roots in Rochester and Motivation on the Turnpike
Konya grew up in suburban Detroit before his family relocated to a suburb of Rochester, New York, when he was in middle school. He played every sport he could, and it eventually led him to football at the collegiate level.
During a summer football camp trip to Long Island, his dad took a detour through Princeton’s campus — the first college campus Konya had ever seen.
“He turns to me and says, ‘Could you see yourself going here?’” Konya recalled. “I said, ‘Oh yeah.’ And he goes, ‘Don’t worry about it, you’ll never get in.’”
Those words stuck.
He not only got in, he also played football at Princeton before injuries curtailed his playing career. He later earned his law degree from the University of Iowa, where he began his career in athletic administration.
Law, he said, was never about practicing law.
“I always thought of it as the ultimate backstage pass to so many different industries,” he said. “And it’s proved to be exactly that.”
From Forklifts to Field of Dreams
Before Princeton and Princeton before San José State, Konya worked his share of odd jobs, including nights on a forklift at Coca-Cola Enterprises.
“It was really hard work,” he said. “Especially the week before July 4th. Custom orders, water, two-liter cases. Absolutely brutal.”
He learned from his parents and from mentors like Steve Orsini at SMU, who taught him how to lead meetings, collaborate, and understand his own leadership style.
And along the way, he continually strives to become a better leader and a better person in the interactions he has with others.
The Human Side of an AD
Spend enough time with Konya and you realize he’s not just a résumé of milestones, awards, and record-breaking seasons, though his record at San José State and previous stops would fill more than a few trophy cases.
He’s also a guy who, when asked what movie title would tell his story, says: The Impactful Athletic Director.
Because for Konya, it’s always been about people.
“Making connections, having an impact on people’s lives, being a mentor — that’s what makes college athletics unique,” he said. “That’s one thing I worry about with this new revenue-sharing era. The relationships could become more corporate. And that would be a mistake. These are 18-year-olds coming to us the same way they always have, trying to figure out who they are. Our job is to help them become the best version of themselves.”
When he does need to recharge, he’ll head to the movies. Or grab a slice at Buddy’s Pizza back in Detroit. Or tee it up on the golf course. Or, yes, retreat to that massage chair.
And in that massage chair, he also watches a secret passion of his: English Premier League soccer. A devoted Liverpool supporter since the late 1980s — partly to spite his dad, a Tottenham Hotspur fan — Konya has followed the Reds through every era, from Robbie Fowler to Steven Gerrard to Jürgen Klopp. He’s been to Anfield half a dozen times and plans to go again this Christmas with his nephew.
“I’ve probably been to seven or eight Premier League stadiums,” he said, grinning. “Like most people who collect attending baseball parks, I collect EPL grounds.” It’s another side of Konya that keeps him connected to the pure joy of sports outside of the day-to-day of San Jose State Athletics.
One Spartan Nation
Konya’s 30-second recruiting pitch for San José State was straightforward to anybody considering a move or commitment.
“This is the perfect marriage of geography, California sunshine, and Silicon Valley opportunity. We’re at a top-four public institution, we’re performing, we’re ascending, we have great coaches and upgraded facilities. And we have One Spartan Nation behind you.”
It’s the same message he delivers to student-athletes, coaches, and staff because he believes it.
And Cut — That’s a Wrap
If you really want to understand Jeff Konya, maybe think of him sitting in his chair at the end of a long day, watching Field of Dreams and reminding himself why he’s in this business.
Not just to win games, raise funds, or cut ribbons, but to connect with people. To help them write their own stories. To leave something better than he found it, even the divots he makes on the golf course.
Because Jeff Konya is one of us.
