GREENWOOD, Ind. - San José State Director of Media Relations Amy Villa has been selected to receive the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Bill Esposito Backbone Award, the organization announced Tuesday.
As the primary contact for the Spartans’ volleyball program, Villa navigated numerous challenges while the team remained in the national spotlight throughout the 2024 season. She managed hundreds of media requests and inquiries, demonstrating exceptional professionalism in her work with student-athletes, coaches, and university officials.
“Through it all, Amy remained a calm, steady, and friendly presence,” said Sky Kerstein, San Jose State’s Associate Athletics Director for Communications and Broadcasting. “Her empathy and approachability provided comfort to student-athletes, while her diligence and clear communication reassured leadership and staff alike.”
Villa is just the 10th recipient of the prestigious award and has spent all but one year of her 32-year career at San José State. She began her career as a sports information intern at SJSU in 1993 and later served as the longtime assistant to legendary sports information director Lawrence Fan.
After spending the 1995–96 season as a sports information intern at the University of Minnesota, Villa returned to San José State in 1996 as an assistant sports information director and has remained there since.
Villa also handles all publicity for women's basketball, women's gymnastics, beach volleyball, women's swimming and diving, women's water polo, and nationally-ranked women's golf teams and is the secondary contact for men's basketball, assisting with credentialing and gamedays. At some point during her time, she has handled publicity for nearly every sport at San José State.
A longtime member of CSC’s Academic All-America Core Committee, Villa was also honored with a CSC 25-Year Award in 2021.
Villa is a 1993 graduate of Capital University in Bexley, Ohio, where she earned a degree in speech communications. She and her husband, Derrick, celebrated their daughter Grace’s graduation from San José State in 2024.
BILL ESPOSITO BACKBONE AWARD
Presented to a CSC member who displays sound judgment and unusual courage in guiding their institution, conference office or collegiate athletics-affiliated association through a difficult media relations situation. Voted upon by the Special Awards Committee and awarded only when worthy candidates are nominated.
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