Second Annual Linda Hall Library Sports Analytics ProgramÂ
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 The competitive edge in football has traditionally meant bigger, faster, stronger athletes. While those attributes are still relevant, a fourth component—data—has increasingly become another way for teams to gain a strategic advantage. From performance metrics to player-tracking data, forward-thinking franchises now have tools to help analyze plays and players differently, assist with in-game decision making, and gain a deeper understanding of the game.
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In this program, moderator Cynthia Frelund from NFL Network and a panel of experts will explore the role of Big Data in football, its impact on the game for both players and fans, and what it means for the future of America’s most popular sport.
Cynthia Frelund is NFL Media's first analytics expert and appears across a variety of NFL Media shows and platforms where she provides statistical and advanced analytics insights, bringing a unique perspective to educate and inform fans about the NFL's players and league trends. During the week, you can see Cynthia on NFL Fantasy Live and every Friday on NFL GameDay View.
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Frelund joined the NFL from ESPN, where she was a Predictive Analytics Analyst on SportsCenter. Prior to that, she served as a business development manager for Disney ABC Television Group, and a finance analyst for the NFL.
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Cynthia graduated from Boston College with a BS in biology receiving her MBA in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation and an MS in Predictive Analytics at Northwestern University.
Michael Pennel Jr. is a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs. Signed by Green Bay in 2014 as an undrafted free agent from Colorado State-Pueblo, Mike enters his 11th NFL season and fourth season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has also played for the Packers, Jets, Falcons, and Bears during his career.
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Mike was part of Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and then returned to the Chiefs mid-season 2023 to become a dominate force on the defensive line during the team’s playoff run. He recorded six tackles in Super Bowl LVIII and clogged running lanes all game long against a potent San Francisco rushing attack. Mike was the highest graded interior defensive lineman in the Super Bowl and received the game’s NFL Way To Play Award, an honor that recognizes excellent playing technique.
Paul Sabin is a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at the Wharton Sports Analytics & Business Initiative and a Lecturer in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked with teams or on projects with the NFL, Power 5 FBS football, NBA, college basketball, MLS, European soccer, MLB, and ESPN.
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Previously, Paul was VP of Football Analytics at SumerSports, where he led the football analytics efforts working with NFL teams. Before Sumer, he was a Senior Sports Data Scientist at ESPN, where he revamped and relaunched BPI and introduced Strength of Record (SOR) for college basketball which are both official metrics used by the NCAA tournament selection committee. In college football, Paul was the original creator of ESPN’s Allstate Playoff Predictor. He also created Fantasy Soccer Projections for ESPN and worked on other metrics such as NFL FPI and NBA BPI. He has authored many articles for espn.com in addition to creating the first of its kind objective data-based rating system for all college football and NFL players.
Adam Petrus has more than 15 years of experience within the sports and technology industry and has been working with Next Gen Stats since 2015. He is currently the Lead of North America Business Development and Sales for Sports & Entertainment at Zebra Technologies where he is responsible for growing Zebra’s hardware and software solutions across the world of sports and the entertainment industry. Prior to joining the sales team, Adam co-managed Zebra’s game day operation of the NFL’s Next Gen Stats program and served as the project lead for the NFL’s Equipment Tracking Program, Virtual Locker.Â
Adam previously worked in the front office of an NFL Football Club, was a licensed sports agent, and served within the U.S. intelligence community supporting special operations to include two and a half years in Iraq.
Pro Bowl center Tim Grunhard was a second-round draft pick of the Kansas City in 1990 and an anchor of the Chiefs’ offensive line during the 1990s. During that time, he started 164 games for the Chiefs, which ranks third in franchise history. Tim played his college ball at Notre Dame, where he played on some of Notre Dame’s most successful teams, including starting every game in 1988 when the Irish went undefeated and won the national championship.
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Following his playing career, Tim has coached at both the high school and collegiate levels. In 2021, Tim was inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame. He is the author of View from the Center and is an active board member for the Third and Long Foundation, a Big Brother Youth mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kansas City, and a freelance motivational speaker.
